


the skies dream of dragons

by rdvelvetkisscs



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Reader-Insert, Retelling, Slow Build, Suggestive Themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:55:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 162,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25962433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rdvelvetkisscs/pseuds/rdvelvetkisscs
Summary: Raised by merchants and living in the Earth Nation, firebender Hana only knows fear and war from her homeland. That is until she meets the heir to the Fire Nation, Prince Zuko. Meeting him kicks off her own journey to save her people and home, while also giving her friends, family, and a sense of justice, belonging, and self.
Relationships: Zuko (Avatar) & Original Character(s)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 36





	1. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "They're not really my people," Hana says. Zuko looks at her, waiting for her to elaborate. She sighs and peels off one of her gloves. Zuko takes in a sharp breath at the sight of her scarred skin. She looks at him and she sees what she thinks is empathy on his face. That empathy turns to shock when a lick of fire spits from her palm and climbs up her fingers.
> 
> "You're a firebender," he said, his voice breathy.
> 
> Hana nods and puts out her flame. "Nobody else in this village knows who I am, knows who my family is," she says. "That's how I recognized you when I first saw you. I mean, how could I forget the face of the Crown Prince of my Nation."

> "An adventure isn't worth telling if there aren’t any dragons in it."
> 
> ― Sarah Ban Breathnach, _Simple Abundance_

The yelling of a man startles Hana out of her stupor. She has been busy in her family's store, trying to make everything look as presentable as possible in case the Fire Nation decides to wade through the village, but all intention to clean the area is lost at the noise of someone being attacked.

"Dance, dance," a man yells along with the sound of hands clapping along.

Hana's two younger sisters rush out of the backroom and peek through the curtain separating the store from the outside world.

"Girls," Hana says, jumping over the counter. "Get over here, away from the door."

The two girls groan but walk back to their sister who lifts them up and over the counter. "But what if someone's hurt out there, Han? We've got to help them."

Hana scoffs. "What are you two going to do? You're twelve."

They blow their cheeks out in annoyance. Hana makes her way over to the curtain and peels it back. Standing outside the shop is a large man. He earth-bends a rock at the old man's feet, effectively making him dance. Hana watches in pain as this stunt goes on for a few more minutes, no one bothering to help the poor man. After the Earth Nation man is satisfied, he tosses a few coins into the bowl sitting in front of a boy who looks to be about Hana's age. Possibly the old man's son, or grandson.

The old man dusts off his simple beige robes, giving absolutely no hint as to where he came from, and sits back down next to the boy. The man walks away and Hana sighs a breath of relief, thanking everything that there was no confrontation. Before ducking back into the store, Hana hears the old man sigh. "What I'd give for a nice cup of jasmine tea."

Hana jumps at the chance to be able to help, heaving herself back over the counter and into the back room.

"Watch over the store you two. If anyone comes in make sure they don't steal anything, but absolutely no bending," Hana says, making sure to emphasize the last few words and pointing her eyes at Yu. Her sisters nod and take their seats as Hana makes her way into their tiny kitchen. She grabs the small tea kettle, filling it up with water and setting it on top of their barely working stove.

Hana looks over both shoulders, making sure all windows and doors are barred from view of the outside world and peels off one of her gloves, letting her scarred skin breath fresh air. She claps both of her hands together before separating them, turning her ungloved hand over and watching a small flame form at the tip of her finger. She brings it to the stove and watches as that one flame becomes a ring of fire under the kettle.

She puts her glove back over her hand and sits in the kitchen, resting her eyes and waiting to hear the whistle of the kettle to tell her it's ready.

After a few minutes the steaming water is ready for Hana to place the last few jasmine tea leaves in their kitchen into two tea cups. She walks back out into the storeroom, empty as always with her two sisters sleeping soundly in their chairs, and silently leaves the store. Her heart rises when she sees the two strangers are still where Hana left them.

She lets out a long breath and walks through the pack of people towards them. They pay her no attention until she sets down the two steaming cups in front of them.

"Two cups of jasmine tea," she says. The old man looks up at her, his face seeming to be on the verge of tears. "I apologize for that jerk from before but I promise we are not all that bad."

"Young lady, we thank you very much," the old man says, greedily picking up the cup and sipping it. When he places his cup down, he nudges the boy with his elbow. "Thank the girl, nephew. She has done us a kindness."

The boy by his side looks up then, and perhaps it's the shock of his identity that steals Hana's breath from her lungs or maybe the fact that nobody else has figured out who he is. Either way, the breath is punched from her stomach and she wavers ever-so-subtly, catching herself only moments before somebody can catch on to her moment of shock.

She knows the boy. She has spent her entire life looking at his pictures, spent countless hours in class learning about the history of his background, losing herself in piles upon piles of history books that outlined the life of this very boy; he should be the last person begging for money.

Prince Zuko, son of the Fire Lord, heir to the throne of the Fire Nation – the prince of her home nation. The boy who was banished from his place in the palace, who knocked the gears in her father to flee the Fire Nation, to become traitors in the eyes of her people.

Well I guess that makes two of us.

"No one does kind things for nothing, uncle. She obviously wants something," Zuko says, pushing the cup away from him.

"He does not mean to come off as insensitive," Iroh says. "We've been travelling for a very long time, and his hunger has gotten the better of him."

"If that is all, we have food back at my store. If you would like to join us, that is, but I don't think my sisters would mind a few guests."

Iroh is happy to get off of the dirty floor and into a real home, but Zuko seems less than comfortable in a strange place. Hana doesn't realize how bad the place looks until she has strangers here. The shelves are mostly empty, barrels and stands are turned on their sides from the last check and she forgot that even the glass in front of the counter is broken.

"What happened here?" Zuko asks finally. He looks around, the wretched scar on his face becoming clearer with his movements. Hana resists the urge to wince, instead pulling further back into the shadows to avoid meeting his eyes.

"Just a check, we get them ever so often," Hana speaks up, trying to skirt past the subject.

"By who?" Iroh asks.

"The Fire Nation soldiers who are occupying this town."

Zuko's face morphs. If Hana's any less wiser, she would have thought it was horror that doused his features, his eyebrows shooting up into his hairline – he had definitely cut his hair since the last time she'd seen him, all of three years ago. His ponytail is gone, leaving only a close cropped tuft of brown hair.

"I'm sorry to hear that," the prince mumbles. "If there's any way in which I can help, I will do my part."

"You're nothing but a stranger," Hana says. "Why show us such kindness?"

Zuko raises his head, looking her dead in the eye as he says, "I could have asked you the same thing, Tea Girl."

* * *

He isn't a very good worker – that much is clear.

Hana watches him closely. He has taken on the job of fixing the shelves that had been destroyed in the last check. He is trying his hardest to hammer the nails into the wood, but with very little success as the nails continue to bend with the force of which he is hitting at them.

Part of her is tempted to get out from behind the counter and help him. He looks like a lost child, glancing around every now and then to make sure nobody caught sight of his wrongdoings – but she thinks a little manual labor would be good for his Royal Highness.

Somehow, nobody else in the village knows who he was, that much was clear. She has learned from General Iroh that they had been in the village for a few days now but no one had sounded an alarm to signal a banished Fire Nation Prince and his uncle had just wandered into the village. Not even her sisters recognize their prince.

Every now and then Hana catches herself relating to the prince – he had been exiled, sent away from his home. He has nowhere else to go. His Agni Kai led her family to this village and his exile had led him to her doorstep. It's been three years since the prince's battle with his father but Hana can remember it as if it was yesterday. The smell of burnt skin, Zuko's scream, her own father's horrified face as he takes his eldest daughter by the arm and runs her out of their homeland.

A scream snaps Hana out of her daydream. Zuko is staggering on the step ladder now, the hammer thrown down beside him and his feet just barely balancing on the edge of the surface. Hana sprints around the counter before she can stop herself, making her way to him with the agility of a squirrel fox. She shoves her hand into his back before he can fall off the edge, and the prince hunches forward.

"Watch yourself," she hisses. "What did you do?"

Zuko, startled by her presence, spins around to look at her. His eyes are wide, his thumb pressed into his mouth in his attempts to heal the wound that he had just pierced into his own flesh with the hammer. Hana raises a brow – he looks utterly helpless right now.

"Did you hurt yourself?"

Zuko flushes. "It was an accident. You don't need to take a look at it."

"Then you go take care of it." She leans down to grab the hammer he had just dropped. "Go take a break if you want; I can finish off the rest of this."

Zuko blinks. His eyes are baring into the back of her head as Hana gets to work, taking a nail out of the wood and straightening it up before hammering it back in.

Zuko makes no attempt to move. He continues to stare at Hana, leaning against the counter with his thumb still popped between his lips.

"You have to do this often," he says. It's not a question.

She nods. "We get checks about once a month, give or take how they feel that month, sometimes they destroy things for the fun of it. I just like to fix it all up before my parents come back." She holds a nail up, letting it glint in the sunlight coming in through the window. "That's how I know how to fix things so well."

Zuko hums. "Where are your parents?"

"They're merchants," she explains. "They find, buy and sell things they find worthy. Right now they're out looking for things to bring back and sell. We tend to get a check when it's just me and my sisters, but they've learned that our food and resources are far more valuable than us so they leave us alone. Just cause a little destruction and then leave, so I call that progress."

"Progress?"

"At least I think so," she says. She hammers another nail into the wall with ease. "My family is safe. We're well fed. I can't really complain, can I?"

"If the Fire Nation soldiers took food then how did you have all that food last night?"

"We've learned to hide things very well." Hana winks at him.

Zuko grunts. He most certainly doesn't talk much – not as much as a prince ought to. Hana shots him a glance out of the corner of her eye. His shoulders are tense, his thumb now removed from his lips so he can bite on the flesh of his lower lip. He isn't looking at her, but instead at the work she is busying herself with.

"It's not that difficult," she says. Zuko looks up at her slowly, silently asking her what she means. "Fixing things. It's not that hard. Look."

She hammers another nail into the wood before tugging on the edge of the plank. It doesn't move. Zuko raises a brow, looks at her in curiosity.

Hana shrugs. "I just thought you might want to know how to do it. You don't have to hit the nail all that hard, you know. It'll just bend and then there's no point, is there?"

"I guess not," he replies slowly.

"Why don't you give it another try?" She shuffles out of the way, handing Zuko the hammer. He stares at it for a second, before he settles a nail on the wall and starts gently hammering at one of the loose nails; she leans forward to get a closer look. For a prince, he has little confidence, there is no mistaking the small tremble of anxiety that shakes his hands as he works.

Despite this tremble of anxiety, he still manages to plunge the nail into the wood with a new found swiftness. Nervously, he glances up at Hana, as if asking her if he had done the job right. She plucks the hammer from his hands, giving him a gentle smile before everything goes silent again.

It isn't like Hana doesn't have anything to ask him; she has plenty to ask him, so many questions she craves answers to, but she's situated in a silence due to the disbelief at her own actions. Here she is, a Fire Nation run-away sitting in her Fire Nation family's store in a village in the Earth Kingdom with a banished, fugitive Prince Zuko, fixing the problems that both of their people have caused.

She looks over at him. The tingle of pity that rises in her stomach makes her feel ashamed. His face is morphed into a sad grimace, a far-away look in his eyes that tells Hana everything she needs to know – he isn't happy. He's been exiled, banished from his home by the one person who was meant to keep him safe. And for some unknown reason, she wants to bring him peace while he's here.

Even if it's just for a moment.

* * *

"Lee, come to join us for supper! Girls make room, make room!"

Hana looks up at the sound of Iroh's voice. The elderly man is making his way in their kitchen, Prince Zuko trailing along behind him begrudgingly. Hana's cheeks flame. Lee. So that is what he's calling himself nowadays.

The moonlight glows bright in through the window. Iroh passes around steaming bowls of stew to Hana and her sisters. She's sipping idly at the juices the meat provided. Though upon looking up and catching Zuko's eyes, she freezes.

He pushes in between Hana and her sister almost instinctively. Hana almost expects her sister to snap at Zuko for moving her - her sisters were not ones to like being told what to do - but instead, she shuffles over to give him room.

"Lee, huh?" Hana says. "You didn't tell me your name in the storeroom earlier."

Zuko grunts, keeping his head bowed. "Names hold power. I chose to keep mine private for a little while." He glances at her. "You didn't tell me your name, either."

"I did," she insists, frowning.

"Nope."

"Maybe you just don't remember."

He scoffs. "I always remember names."

Hana narrows her eyes; an odd thing to say for somebody who's trying to blend in as a commoner, though she decides not to question it. He has no reason to hide himself from her, not when she already knows who he is.

"Hana," she says. "My name's Hana."

There's no pleasantries passed with the sharing of their names; he simply nods his head and turns back to the fire, reaching forward to retrieve a bowl of stew that's being handed to him across the table.

She watches him eat, her own appetite suddenly diminishing. He truly does look like a man starved, and the bones carving out of the skin on his face do very little to veer off that illusion. He eats with passion, juice dribbling down his chin that he dabs away with the tail of his robes.

"Where are you from, Lee?" Hana asks, without really meaning to.

He slurps up a bit of gravy and looks at her through the corner of his eye. "Far away. A place you won't know."

"Maybe I do know it," she pushes. "I study maps on my off time. I know a lot more about the world than you may think."

"It's far away. You shouldn't worry about it."

Hana frowns. "I wouldn't say I was particularly worried about it, but I am indeed curious. You have no reason to be so mysterious."

"Mysterious?"

"You heard me," she says. He looks up at her fully then, his eyes meeting hers properly for what seems like the first time since she had met him; she sees that pain again, that flash of history that courses through his irises, telling his story and making it seem utterly impossible to not remember the night with full vividness.

She swallows thickly, that sense of guilt brewing in the pit of her stomach once again.

"I don't mean to pry," she says. "My father always said I had a habit of pushing beyond my limits – I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Zuko eyes her for a moment longer before he shrugs and goes back to eating his food. "I'm stubborn, too. There's no need to apologize."

Hana opens her mouth to reply, but it's not her voice that rings out in the kitchen.

"Han, can Lee and his uncle stay forever. He's a lot more fun than you are." It's Hana's sister, Chunhua, reaching over to Iroh and leaning against him.

Zuko straightens up, casting his uncle a panicked glance before he turns back to Hana.

Iroh grins from ear to ear, his eyes forming crescents as he sat between the two girls. "Your sister has blessed us with kindness two beggars do not deserve. I'm sure Lee wouldn't want to intrude on you much longer."

Zuko shakes his head. "We must be leaving soon anyways."

"You do plan on staying the night, don't you?" Hana's other sister, Yu, continues. "It's much too dark for you to be setting off now. Oh pleaaaaase just stay one more night!"

Hana winces. "Now Yu-"

"We were actually planning on leaving shortly after supper, weren't we uncle," Zuko replies, and a sharp jolt of panic rises through Hana for a reason she can not quite pinpoint. "I don't want to use up your hospitality, and travelling in the dark has never been an issue for us in the past. I think we'll manage just fine."

Hana's sisters frown.

"I do think they're right. I truly don't think leaving tonight is the best idea. Please, do us the honor of staying an extra night, just so we are assured of your safety." Zuko's eyes snap over to Hana and immediately lighten.

"Han's got an extra place to sleep in her room since our parents are out. You can stay in the lizard den with her."

"The lizard den?" Iroh asks, leaning back from Hana's sisters.

Chunhua nods fervently. "It's because Han's the lizard and she always escapes to her room whenever she wants to get away from us. Right, Lizard?"

Hana snips at her sisters who are giggling. Heat rushes to her face, but it's not due to the fact her sisters just gave away her childhood nickname to the Fire Nation Prince and general, and it definitely isn't because the idea of her and Prince Zuko sharing a room is now running through her head. It's ludicrous, but of course, no one else thinks so. Sharing rooms has never been an issue in her family, and Hana has never seen it as an issue before – not until now. Not until it was the prince of her homeland who would soon be sleeping by her side.

"Girls, honestly," she grumbles. "He doesn't want to sleep in a room with me. He would probably much rather sleep with his family."

"Actually no," Zuko chimes in. "My uncle snores so loudly sometimes that it is hard to sleep. It would be a nice change of pace to actually be able to fall asleep in the quiet. I'll take you two up on your offer."

Hana's sisters cheer and begin wrapping Iroh up in their chatter again, who seems to actually be enjoying them instead of brushing them away. They leave no room for further argument. Iroh smiles one last time at the two before he turns on his heel and walks back to the sisters who beg him for a story before bed.

Hana doesn't risk looking over at Zuko once the two are alone. Judging by the hunch of his shoulders and the way he immediately dives back into his stew, he has very little to say himself. And so, she sits beside him and lets the dread of the night ahead settle in her stomach, refusing to ponder too deeply upon it.

He would be gone in the morning. If she has any sense in her, she would make sure he knew nothing about the true nature of her family when he left.

Zuko is already tucked in bed by the time Hana stumbles into the bedroom that evening.

Supper has filled her up, leaving her exhausted with the heavy warmth brewing in her stomach. She wants nothing more than to flop onto her bed and go to sleep, but without her parents she had to clean up before doing such a thing; and even after that simple chore had been ticked off the list, her sisters begged her to come into their room and listen to Iroh tell one of his stories.

After listening to the soft rise and fall of her sisters breathing for some time, Hana was finally free to sleep.

At least, that was what she was hoping at the time. All ideas of falling into a peaceful slumber are thrown out of the window as soon as she steps through the door of her room and sees the bulk that is Prince Zuko beneath the quilts of the bed.

Hana swallows, slowly stepping forward and making her presence known with a cough. Zuko doesn't look up, but she knows he's awake by the way he freezes at the sound of her entering.

"Looks like you found the lizard den all by yourself," she says, using the family's nickname for the room. "Pretending to be asleep. A good way to avoid conversation."

Zuko does his go-to grunt, making her roll her eyes. She slumps down on the edge of her own bed and starts messing with the laces of her boots. Her fingers are stiff and cold from washing the dishes, and she struggles to undo the knot.

Her foot is suddenly snatched, causing her to yelp and stumble onto the floor. Zuko doesn't seem to care, simply lifting her foot onto his knee as he makes a quick job of undoing the knot of her laces with his blade and flicking her shoe off with a flick of his wrist.

She stares up at him in shock, but he does not once look down at her. He keeps his eyes firm on the task at hand, and only after he has rid Hana of her shoes does he sheath his small blade and tuck himself back under the covers, his back now facing her.

Hana stares at him for a moment longer before saying. "Do you think you'll be able to sleep much tonight?"

"No," he grunts.

"Me neither." She stands up on shaky legs, still in a mild state of shock from what had just happened. She sets herself down on her bed and wraps her arms around her middle, staring into Prince Zuko's back as if she could somehow communicate her feelings to him through that.

"Maybe we shouldn't be so quiet, then," Hana continues. "It'll just make the hours seem longer."

"I don't mind the hours being long. It gives me time to think."

"Think about what?"

"Nothing of your concern."

She hollows out her cheeks. "Why do you always have to do that? Why can't you just be straightforward for once? Not everything has to have an ominous edge to it."

"I'm not being ominous. You're just butting your head in where it doesn't belong."

"Well, at least my head isn't stuck so far up my ass that I can see myself in the back of my throat when I open my mouth."

Zuko twists around under the covers, shooting terrifying daggers in her direction. Despite the glint in his eyes, Hana refuses to back down. She folds her arms over her chest and glares right back at him.

"Don't speak to me like that," he hisses.

She raises a brow. "Why not? What makes you so special?"

His mouth opens, but he quickly snaps it shut. She can guess what he was going to say, what he was well prepared to admit before realizing that it would expose him for who he truly was.

He shakes his head and instead opts for repeating. "Just don't speak to me like that."

Hana laughs. She sits on the edge of the bed. He pushes himself up onto his elbows. With his hair pushed back off of his face the entirety of his scar could be seen. Hana reaches out to him, cradling the right side of his face. Her thumb brushes where his scar meets untouched flesh. "My apologies, Your Highness."

He clenches his fists in the quilts, gritting his teeth. Hana has never seen him show so much emotion; in the short amount of time she had gotten to know Prince Zuko, he had retained his monotone expression, replying to basic questions with nothing more than a grunt. But now she can see that he has a short temper, one Hana is enjoying messing with at the moment.

Zuko pushes her hand away. "You know, I don't even want to be here," he hisses suddenly.

"That's a nice thing to say to the people who gave you a place to sleep for the night."

"A place I didn't ask for."

"Does that matter? Without us, you'd be sleeping on the streets in the middle of nowhere, with nobody to collect you except for bandits who only want your money!"

"Money?" His voice is rising now. "We don't even have money! Who do you take us as? Why do you think we were out peddling money?"

All the aggression melts away on her face. "What happened to you?"

He blanks. His face relaxes with his confusion, his hands release the sheets. He stares up at her, eyes narrowed as he thinks about how to answer what she had just said – but he doesn't. And she can't make him answer. Because even though she doesn't know this man, and she should have let him leave when he wanted, she doesn't want him risking his life in an attempt to flee. She can't even imagine the pain she would feel if she was to run across his dead body, laying neglected in the dirt after trying to escape.

He looks at her for a breath more before turning over, his back facing her. Hana sighs and lays back, sinking into the pillow.

Zuko leans forward, his forearms leaning on his knees. "You didn't tell anybody."

Hana closes her eyes. "It's not my news to tell, Prince Zuko."

He visibly flinches at his name being used so loosely by somebody who wasn't supposed to know who he was in the first place; he has clearly put a lot of effort into concealing his identity, and yet here Hana is, speaking his name as if he's a close friend.

"Why would you let me stay here if you knew who I was?" He continues. "You told me all about the Fire Nation and what they did to your people – you should be repulsed by my presence."

"They're not really my people," Hana says. Zuko looks at her, waiting for her to elaborate. She sighs and peels off one of her gloves. Zuko takes in a sharp breath at the sight of her scarred skin. She looks at him and she sees what she thinks is empathy on his face. That empathy turns to shock when a lick of fire spits from her palm and climbs up her fingers.

"You're a firebender," he said, his voice breathy.

Hana nods and puts out her flame. "Nobody else in this village knows who I am, knows who my family is," she says. "That's how I recognized you when I first saw you. I mean, how could I forget the face of the Crown Prince of my Nation."

"Why are you here?"

"None of your business. You already lead a sad enough life without letting you know about mine."

"Don't call it sad," he bites out. "It will be fixed soon enough. I'll get my throne back."

Hana hums, closing her eyes and draping a hand over her forehead. "Alright. Tell me when you get there. Maybe then I'll be able to go home."

"What is your problem?" Zuko hisses. He slams his hands against the mattress, trying to prove some kind of point, but Hana isn't having it

She bolts upright, mimicking his actions in slamming her hands against the mattress. "My problem is none of your business. I'm here now and that's it, end of story." He falters, but his expression doesn't change. He keeps a firm grip on the edge of the bed, staring at Hana as her anger refuses to dim. "You're the Prince of the Fire Nation, and you've done nothing to fix it. Our people are still monsters. Still waging war on innocents!" The tears prick at her eyes, just as they always do upon the thought of what she left behind, the place she misses more than words would ever be able to describe. She can sit and scream, yell, throw a fit all she wants, but it still wouldn't bring her back to her homeland. It's this realization that makes her cry.

"We're traitors," Hana chokes out. "I can never go back even if I wanted to. Even if they would let me back. I will never be the same person I was." To prove her point, Hana rolls up her sleeves to reveal the burn scars which are crafted into her skin. They completely cover the entirety of her hand. Her fingernails are barely that. They are little and stubby and barely cover half the length they are supposed to.

Zuko no longer looks angry. His eyes have softened considerably, his grip loosening as he looks down at the scars she's showing; she isn't even sure why she's showing him. The scars are a sign of her weakness, a reminder of that night when she did the one thing she never thought she would be able to do. It burned her inside before she even marred her skin.

"Yeah, now you're quiet," she grumbles, pulling her gloves back on. "I don't know why I expected something different from you."

"What happened to your hands?" He asks in a soft whisper.

Hana looks back down at her hands, now covered by cloth, and feels the pounding in her head that she always gets when she remembers that night. She presses the heels of her hands into her eyes and lets out a deep breath.

"I don't like talking about it," she says in a low voice. "Let's just say I did something really bad and I made sure to mark my own skin so I never forgot it."

"You did that to yourself," Zuko asks. He studies her skin. He never got to look at his own face after it was scarred, but he could only imagine that that is what his skin looked like. Zuko's mouth twitches. When he speaks, his voice comes out hoarse, barely audible. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah," she says. "So am I."

"And does it help you?" he asks. "Remember I mean."

She swallows a lump in her throat. "Yeah it does. Not a day passes where I don't forget it."

"And you're still able to be kind to a few peddling strangers? Fire Nation strangers at that."

Hana shrugs, nibbling on her bottom lip. Her anger has ebbed away, leaving behind tiny little remnants of anxiety that are skittering up her arms right now, causing her fingers to twitch in the fabric of the duvet.

"It made me kinder," she replies quietly. "I didn't grow up poor, I wasn't rich either but we lived comfortably, otherwise I never really had a hardship until then. After that, I realized that there's so much bad in this world without me adding to it."

"After what happened to you, you should have left my uncle and I in the street."

She scoffs. "Don't be so dramatic."

"It's true." He leans back then, folding his arms over his knees and gazing into her face with an eyebrow raised in interest. "You still showed me hospitality, even though you were fully aware of who I was, where I come from."

"I did it because I knew who you were," she says. "I don't blame you for what happened to me. In fact, I think you're the only one who can truly understand me."

Zuko chews on his bottom lip. "Maybe you're right."

Hana wants the conversation to end. She doesn't want to talk about any of this anymore, doesn't want to relive that night with the Prince of the Fire Nation; so, instead of dwelling further on the subject, she leans back and lays on her side in the quilts, turning her back to him in any attempt to get the sight of his peering eyes out of her mind.

"What are you going to do when you leave?" Hana asks.

"I'm going to find the Avatar," he growls and Hana's eyes widen. "It's my destiny to bring him back to the Fire Nation and restore my honor."

"He's alive then," Hana asks, her voice shaking.

"Yes, he's very much alive."

"Good," she whispers, thinking she said it quietly enough, but when Zuko grunts she trips over her words. "I said, let's get to sleep."

Hana can hear Zuko's breathing as she lets her eyes close. The bed creaks beneath him as he moves to lay down as well, but it is clear that neither are sleeping any time soon. Despite the strain of exhaustion that has littered the prince's face upon first glance, the conversation the two shared has obviously affected him just as much as it had affected her; neither are sleeping after it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> You made to the end of the first chapter, thank you so much! I've honestly been sitting on this story for such a long time and have never gotten the courage to publish it until recently. I hope that you'll enjoy reading it and continue to come back to finish the story with me.
> 
> I appreciate you more than words could describe, and I thank you again!


	2. The Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A line of fire flares up, and this time she successfully catches it and flings it up and away from the village with a quick twist of her body.
> 
> "You there!" A villager cries. "What are you doing? Stand down!"
> 
> She wants to turn back towards the voice, but she doesn't as she continues to run. They may be mad at and think she's the enemy an firebender now, but as long as they don't know that she's not the merchant's daughter she can keep going.

> "Our biggest fears are like dragons, guarding our deepest treasures."
> 
> ― Rainer Maria Rilke

Hana wakes up the next morning to an empty room.

It's what she had expected. Zuko wasn't meant to stay with them, and she knows that. Especially after finding out the truth about Hana and her family; he'd be a fool to stay around longer than necessary and put himself in unnecessary danger.

Yet Hana finds herself feeling a slight jab of disappointment in her stomach when she glances around the room to see his bed made up and empty. She doesn't ponder too much on the fact as she climbs out of her own bed and gets ready for the day, tying her hair from her face and putting on her store apron; she has a business to run, a family to care for, sisters to keep from killing themselves. She doesn't have time to worry about such things as Prince Zuko.

But even as she tells herself this, even as she troops out of the backroom and gets to work on the store, she realizes just how little she's actually taking her own advice. For some reason, the image of Zuko plays on a constant loop in the back of her mind; that scar over his face, his short brown hair that she hasn't got the chance to ask about – people of the Fire Nation, her people, don't normally cut their hair.

As the day wears on, Hana continues to think about him. She scolds herself every time she gets lost in such a train of thought, but it's unavoidable. He had affected her in some way, had shocked her perhaps a little too much, and now the idea of forgetting about him seems close to impossible.

* * *

The lowering summer sun beats down on the store and seeps deep into Hana's bones as its rays dance in through the windows and along her skin. She rubs her arms, even those little movements makes her skin feel like it's on fire. She sighs, content, as a bit of breeze blows into the shop and brushes her hair past her shoulders. She leans farther out the window, her cooling tea glistens in the clear glass cup as if it were liquid sunshine, almost becomes forgotten.

Bringing the glass to her lips, she takes a sip as she watches passersby. The golden tea coats her tongue in a wave of bold flavor, giving her a relaxing feeling to wind down her day. They never have many people who visit the shop, so while there was a lull in the shop Hana finished cleaning up from the last check.

A shrill laughter breaks through the silence as Hana's sisters run through the store front, one pushing the other. "Hey, stop running through the store," she yells. "You're going to break something." But nothing Hana says stops the two young girls from rough housing. She sighs once more and steps away to shield the store from her sisters.

When she settles behind the counter, a large crash comes from the back of the house. Hana takes just a moment to rub her hands over her face and calm herself before going to check on what just broke. "Girls," she screams. As soon as she sees her sisters, they immediately start blaming each other. Then they start shoving each other, and it doesn't help that the glass plate is shattered in front of them. "Alright, hold on, move back," Hana barks. She steps over the glass and pushes her sisters back. "You're going to get hurt, I said move!"

Licks of small flames run up her arms, and the girls instantly shut up and back away.

"Han," Yu says in a low voice.

"We're sorry," Chunhua concludes.

The fire puts itself out on her skin as Hana is frozen for a moment. She looks back up at her sisters, their faces filled with fear, and then goes about cleaning up the glass in silence. When she's done, Hana turns back to her sisters. "Yu, Chunhua, I'm sorry. I just- I didn't want you to get hurt. I shouldn't have gotten angry and yelled at you."

"You firebended," Chunhua says, tears forming in her eyes.

"Mom and dad says that we're not allowed to do that," Yu adds.

Hana nods her heads, moving closer to her sisters and kneeling before them. "They did. And you still need to listen to them, absolutely. What I did was wrong, so do what I say not what I do."

Yu frowns. "That's not fair. Why can't we firebend?"

The two little girls stare up in awe at their big sister, waiting for an answer. Hana's mouth hangs open, not quite sure what she could tell them. "Uh well, you know people aren't allowed to bend here. Especially firebending. You could hurt someone or break something. Mostly little girls with no training like you."

"That's not fair," Chunhua cries.

Her sister begins to complain about not being able to bend being fair and that they want to try bending like their big sister. Hana reaches out to the girls and brings them close. "I know it's not fair, but it's how we have to live right now. Maybe one day we'll be lucky enough to bend all we want."

The girls think about asking more questions, but they don't and hold Hana closer. Yu and Chunhua normally don't see their sister this upset and it shakes them so much that they leave the conversation as is.

"Okay, you two," Hana says when she pulls away. "It's time to get ready for bed."

"Come on Han," Chunhua whines. "It's not even that late."

"I'm well aware," Hana laughs. "But you know the rule, when the sun goes down, we all stay in the back. No come on, you brush your teeth and put on your pajamas while I lock up the shop."

It takes a bit more convincing to get the girls to leave for the back rooms. Hana has a bit more time to herself in the front of the shop as she shuts it down. Time stretches slowly as she becomes lost in thought as the passersby become fewer and fewer. Cicadas sing their praises to the sun and humidity, reminding anyone within earshot just how hot today and the following days will be.

She lingers in the opening of the shop, keeping her eyes to the streets and looking out for Fire Nation soldiers. Their monthly check just came so technically no one should come for a while, but surprises do and have happened. She keeps her body taunt, and a bit of her head looks out for an old man and his nephew sitting on the streets.

His eyes flash through her brain, but she brushes it away as quickly as it comes. She's lost in thought for just a moment longer until she sees fire in the distance. Hana jumps to shut the windows and lock the door, as long as those soldiers don't turn their eyes on their shop they'll survive for the night.

From the front of the shop, Hana listens to the distant knocking of doors and chatter from the soldiers. She places herself on top of the counter, bringing her knees up to her chest and just listens to the commotion outside. Her chest tightens when the footsteps get closer to their door. It's silent for a moment, and Hana thinks they're in the clear until a loud banging comes from the other side of the door.

She flinches, but doesn't have time to steady herself before she throws herself off the counter and pulls the door open. Putting both hands behind her back, Hana stares down at the ground.

"We've received word that this shop took in two beggars off the street last night," the man in front says. "We'd like to confirm this suspicion."

Hana just nods her head and steps aside for the soldiers to enter the shop for the second time that week. "Are there any other people in this building?" One of the soldiers asks. Hana shakes her head and calls her sisters to come into the front room. As soon as the girls make themselves known, Hana pulls them over to her before pushing their heads down to look at the ground and placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "Are you three the only ones here?" He asks.

All three girls nod their heads. The guards go off to search their home, but one stays behind to continue asking the girls questions. Hana keeps their attention off of her sisters by politely answering all of their questions promptly.

The men who parted from their friend are loud and rough as they man-handle their home. Hana can feel her sisters flinch every time they hear a door slammed open or an object falling to the ground. She holds them tighter, placing a hand on their chest and pulling them closer. Her heart breaks a little when she feels theirs beat wildly. This is their first raid. Normally the soldiers stick to the shop, not going far back into their home and the girls hide in a room while they are present.

It feels like hours before the other guards come back, shaking their heads. "There's no one back there," one says.

The one who stayed with them turns back to the girls with more frustration in his face than the rest. He reaches out and forcefully takes Hana by the collar of her shirt. With his face inches from hers, she can't stop her heart from wildly racing either. "You're not lying to me girl, are you?" He asks.

Hana shakes her head with the little movement she has left. The soldier tightens his grip and brings her closer, leaving the tips of her shoes the only part left on the floor and the air leaving her throat.

"If I find you're lying, you'll wish you were dead," he says before letting her go.

Her sister's rush to Hana's side. She can feel her sisters shaking slightly when she reaches out to them again. The soldiers pay them no attention as they leave once again. Their shop is silent for a moment, sisters just holding each other, before Hana shoos them off to bed again. "It's all over now," she says in a low voice. "Off to bed, come on."

It doesn't take much convincing as they stumble off back to their room. As soon as they're gone, Hana collapses to her knees and buries her head in her hands. She takes a couple deep breathes, trying to bring down the temperature in her body.

It takes no time after the soldiers leave when the sirens go off.

Loud and clear and familiar, they startle Hana out of the daze she had been sucked into. Her head snaps up. Fear courses through her gut as she picks herself up and runs through the house looking for her sisters. Her feet are carrying her forward before she can even hear the footfall of the soldiers surrounding the village. That fear sky-rockets when she pulls back the second bedroom door and finds the room completely empty. She goes from her parents room, to the kitchen and bathroom and doesn't see her sisters anywhere. Finally she enters her room and pulls up the floorboards to find her sister cowering in the corner.

"Good," she sighs a breath of relief. "You two stay here, don't come out for anyone but me."

"Hana," they cry.

"You can't go out there," Yu cries.

"They'll kill you if they find out you're here," Chunhua adds.

"I have to help them. If you guys stay here you'll be safe. And don't worry," Hana says, wrapping her mother's silk scarf around her head and peeling off her gloves. "No one will know I'm ever there."

Hana tosses her gloves to her sisters, before covering them back up again and running out of the shop. The streets of the village have completely changed from peaceful and silent, to loud and chaotic. Children's screams ring in her ears as she runs. She could hear the crackle of fire engulfing the stalls, the houses that had only just been rebuilt for the citizens of the village. She can hear terrified mothers calling out for their children, but everybody is getting split up by the wall of fire that is erupting around them.

Hana skids to the side, stops in her tracks when a fireball is launched in her direction. She reaches out of hand and tries to redirect the attack, but she fails and the fire knocks her off her feet. Her shoulder slams against a nearby fruit stall, and her left arm feels numb almost instantly.

"Son of a -" she hisses through gritted teeth, but her obscenities are cut off by another fireball whizzing past her ear.

"Where is Prince Zuko?" Somebody yells. Hana freezes in the middle of the chaos. "One of you in this village is hiding him and we'll burn this whole place down if you hide him any longer."

Arm numb, body even number all of a sudden, she has stopped dead in the center of it all, mind reeling at a thousand miles per hour – and all her thoughts are directed straight at the prince.

He hadn't hidden his tracks well enough. That stupid, mindless, senseless idiot had led the soldiers right to their village.

She spins on her heel and thrusts her hands forward. She gathers up the fire around her and pushes it back to where it came from, knocking the oncoming soldiers onto their backs. A line of fire flares up, and this time she successfully catches it and flings it up and away from the village with a quick twist of her body.

"You there!" A villager cries. "What are you doing? Stand down!"

She wants to turn back towards the voice, but she doesn't as she continues to run. They may be mad at and think she's an enemy firebender now, but as long as they don't know that she's not the merchant's daughter she can keep going.

She continues to run through the streets and dodging attacks, fire erupting around her with little mercy. Her muscles grow lax, the energy seeping out of them at a speed she has never before experienced, but she can't stop now. They are looking for Prince Zuko; they would take down the entire village if it meant getting their hands on their special, exiled prince.

But then Hana feels her skin heat up and the fire grows around her. She can feel that it's no longer just the soldiers and Hana who wielded fire at their fingertip – there's something else mingling along with them, somebody else.

Hana spins on her heel, just nearly dodging yet another fireball that flies past her as she does so. She doesn't get another second before another whizzes past her ear, smoldering a piece of her hair. She curses at the heat which rises from the side of her head, but her words are swallowed by the echoing cries of Prince Zuko who is rising up in the distance like a phoenix from ashes.

Hana has never before seen a sight quite like it; the world freezes. The fire that she thought she had controlled under her very fingertips feels small and frail all of a sudden, a slave to Zuko's hand. It's his flames that are wiping out everything in their path. It's his flames which are cutting through the dirt and the soil, putting a barricade between the people of the village and the Fire Nation soldiers.

Her skin is scorching as she collapses to her knees, gasping for breath, head darting left and right in search of Zuko – he's here. He came back. He hadn't left her all completely defenseless.

She needs to help him. There's no way he would be able to-

He darts past Hana without even a second glance at her. Flames are erupting from his fingertips, and she watches in horror as he cuts his hand through the air and through the center of his people. He demolishes them in a single swipe, leaving behind nothing but piles of ash which blows apart with the slightest breeze.

And then it's silent.

Nobody dares to speak. It almost seems like nobody was breathing. Hana rubs circles into her skin, but the only thing she can concentrate on is Prince Zuko standing before them, refusing to turn in fear of what he might see; she doesn't blame him.

"Zuko!"

His name erupts from her lips before she can think better of the decision. It's an action stemmed from fear, but she uses it to her advantage as soon as she possibly could; she rises from the dirt and throws herself towards him, arms outstretched.

"Hana! Is that you?"

Zuko spins around. His eyes met hers before she crashes into him and grips onto him tightly, pulling him into an embrace that she isn't sure if he needs or not; but it's her that needs to hold him, to touch him, feel his skin beneath her fingertips – any confirmation that he's okay, that he's alive and here. He's a firebender who came back to help a village that meant nothing to him – they existed, and Zuko's the proof.

He doesn't pull away like she had once expected him to. He instead wraps his arms around her middle, nuzzles his head in the crook of her neck and hugs her back. They're two complete opposites of the same circle; yet she stands in the rings of flames and embraces Zuko as if they had never before known life without one another.

"You came back," she whispers into his neck.

He nods against her. She feels his breath clip against her collar bone, causing goosebumps to shift up her body.

"I just felt wrong after we left," he replies. "I didn't know you and I was rude to you when we first met and then you opened up to me and I just disappeared. I only came back to apologize for leaving so suddenly, but I saw the smoke-"

"You saved us," she says, pulling away. She holds him at arm's length, examining his face, absorbing his startled features. His hands are still wrapped around her waist, though his grip was loosening with his confusion.

"I just-"

"I mean I had it covered," she insists, pushing away from him. "It was nice of you to help, but I totally had it."

Zuko flushes and he's silent for a moment before a smile breaks his cold demeanor. "Sure you did but it was my fault that the Fire Nation attacked in the first place. I was careless. I left a trail-"

Hana shuts him up by pulling him back into her arms. She savors the feeling of his warm skin against her own, savoring this slice of reality that she never before thought she would be able to feel, let alone the prince of her homeland. And yet here she is, warm in his arms with his head nuzzled into her neck, his hands running through her hair and down her back but she doesn't move. Because Zuko had just saved her life.

Zuko had just proven that he's different.

"Are those the sound of lovebirds I hear?" Hana hears. The two pull away from each other and turn to face General Iroh.

"Your Highness," Hana says, bowing low before him, but Iroh raises his hand to stop her.

"You can call me Iroh. After all the trouble my nephew has put you through, well, I might as well just start calling you family."

"Uncle," Zuko groans, but Hana swears that she can see a hint of blush cross his features. Before the tender moment can continue, Hana hears the voices of villagers coming towards them. She grabs their hands and pulls them into the village.

"Hurry," she says. "This way, before they find you."

The three sneak through alleyways, past dark buildings and around groups of people until they finally reach her parent's shops. She lets the two men go and sprints through the house, uncovering the floorboards to find her sister right where she left them. They cry her name and leap into her arm as soon as they crawl out, bawling like they did when they were babies. Hana pats their back and when they quiet down, she hands them over to Iroh to tell them more stories.

She unwinds the scarf from her head and places it into her bag.

"Your home," a voice says behind her. Hana turns back to see Zuko casually leaning against the door frame. "What happened to it?"

She falls down on her bed, bringing a foot under her. "Fire Nation soldiers came looking for you. And I guess I was spotted bringing you in yesterday."

"Hana, I'm sor-"

She holds up her hand. "If you're about to apologize, don't. I don't regret letting you into my home. As long as you take what you learned here with you on your search for the Avatar."

"I could never," he says, a slight laugh in her voice. Hana takes the bag on her bed, throwing a few more articles of clothing inside before zipping it up and tossing it to the floor. "Are you going somewhere?" Zuko asks.

"Yes. When my parents return I'm going out to find something for myself," she says.

"Can I ask what it is you'll be looking for?" He asks.

Hana walks up to the prince and places her hand on his cheek like she had the other night, but this time she pinches his cheek. "That's none of your business, but I hope we may run into each other again."

Hana turns back to pack once more and Zuko stands there for one breath, smiling at the girl, before turning around to leave with his uncle. "I hope so too," he whispers to himself.

When the glow of their lantern is completely out of sight, Hana backs away from her window, blowing a kiss to the sky and whispers. "Goodbye, Zuko."

* * *

The next morning Hana walks out into the kitchen to find a pair of deep red, silk gloves that fit the entire length of her forearm. There is no silk covering the hand though, leaving her scarred skin exposed.

There's a small note under the cloth reading, _Wear these with pride. -Z._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, thank you so much to those of you who kudos'd and commented on the last part. I'm so glad you liked it. I have the rest of the story planned and written out so I hope you'll stick around to read it.
> 
> New chapters every Monday!
> 
> Thank you!!!


	3. The Reuniting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko doesn't know who his savior is. He is just looking up at this... this goddess of fire in awe and reverence. That is until said savior offers him a hand that is completely void of flame and he knows that silk glove and that scarred hand. He looks up once again and sees a familiar face pushing through the fire.
> 
> "Why is it that I always find you in the worst positions?" Hana laughs. "Are you sure you're a prince, because so far I've seen a penniless street peddler and a boy who's about to be mauled by an armadillo bear."

> "Noble dragons don't have friends. The closest thing they can get is an enemy who is still alive."
> 
> ― Terry Pratchett, _Guards! Guards!_

Hana truly thought going off on her own adventure was going to be much more fun than it is. For the first few days she stuck to the woods. She lived in them before - they're familiar and she has less of a chance of running into people, both Fire Nation soldiers and the innocent people of the Earth Nation alike. She would have rather not have to make contact with anyone if she didn't need to.

Her parents had a fit when she informed them she was leaving. Her father screamed, her mother cried, they both threatened to ground her forever but in the end they knew what she needed to do was far greater than even her own life.

You see, she is on a journey to find the Avatar.

After her run-in with the Fire Prince, and the confirmation that the Avatar really was alive somewhere out there, the fire in her heart roared to life. She's proud to be a child of the Fire Nation. She's proud to be a firebender. But the actions of the Fire Nation, of the Fire Lord, made her disappointed and fearful of her homeland. Ever since her family escaped from their home, Hana has seen nothing but pain and suffering the people of the other nations felt from the Fire Nation.

Hell, Hana has witnessed it first hand.

But she also knows that she's only one girl. One sixteen-year-old girl whose firebending is decent, at best. Over the years, Hana found herself settling into the thought that her home nation could never be redeemed and that she and her family would have to stay hidden in the Earth Kingdom for the rest of their lives. That was until she knew of the Avatar's status, and she began putting a plan together.

Hana might only be one girl, but there was another person out there somewhere who could help her save her home. Save her family. Save her. And she was going to help them as best as she could.

So here Hana found herself, in the middle of the forest. Days away from her family, finding herself way more exhausted than she thought she would be and very quickly running out of food. The worst part about it though, is the coldness that settled into her very core the further and further she gets from her family. Not as if it was a physical chill, in fact most mornings she woke up sweating from the heat, the bone-chilling cold she felt everyday came from the inside than anywhere else. She has never been this far from her parents and sisters. She couldn't remember a time before her sisters were born. Her family went to outings and events together, worked together, did everything they could do together. They even ran away together as a family. Sure, her parents go off on exhibitions ever once in a while but she's always had her sisters there to keep her company and vice versa.

That night, after exhaustion finally forces her a stop for the day, Hana uses the last bit of her energy to climb up a large tree. The branches are wide and spread out enough for her to sleep comfortably without fear of falling to the ground. She thanks everyone that the sky is clear and she can see through the leaves to gaze at the moon through them. Hana pulls her cloak around herself, letting the hum of cicadas sing her to sleep.

* * *

As she walks the next day, the forest finally disperses into dirt roads and civilization, making it so that Hana cannot hide anymore. The sun is bright and she pulls a moon peach from her bag to munch on. For a few hours she doesn't see a soul and she thinks that she might not have as much trouble on the roads as she thought. She is quickly mistaken.

At one point she notices a man, probably in his mid-thirties, who quickened his pace to catch up to her. When he is at her side, he begins to ask her to join him for lunch and no matter how much she declines he comes back, more desperate than the previous attempt. She has her hands behind her back, the glow of embers beginning to heat the skin, and she waits for him to strike but to her surprise, he gives up.

She quickly tries to get off of the road, but not even an hour later the man returns. This time, he's deliberately trying to rob her. Her anger and frustration burn through her full force and she is so glad to find that she can pin him to the ground with very little effort. Although she's not sure how happy she should actually be because now that he's decapitated she can finally get a good look and, well, it's not a good look.

He's skin and bones. His face is sunken in and under her hands, his wrists feel like they could break with even the smallest movement.

"You know, even my twelve-year-old sisters know not to steal," she says as she glares at the man.

"Come on sweetheart, don't you just have a little food to spare! Don't be a prude," he cries out desperately.

Her mouth drops open at his words for a moment before her anger rises again. She gets off of him and she finds that her voice drips like venom. "I was going to help you, but now, that option is off the table."

She begins walking away, only to stop when that same bony hand curls around her ankle and he calls out frantically. "Please. I'm sorry. I'm just so hungry. I haven't eaten in days. Please. I don't want to die."

Hana pauses at his words, and the disparity in his voice that followed. Grinding her teeth, she knew she'd regret it later but she pulls her bag off of her shoulder and finds a small pouch of nuts. She crouches down to hand them to the man who looks eternally grateful to her. "As long as you promise not to steal anymore, and to no longer call another woman 'sweetheart'." The man nods his head and thanks her a million times over before Hana can wriggle out of his thankful grasp.

Just before nightfall, she arrives in a small village. She passes by a well-lit tea house. Hana feels a pull in her heart when she looks into a window and sees a woman pouring a cup of tea for an old man sitting at the table. When she walks in and orders a cup of jasmine tea, she can't stop herself from thinking about the prince and his uncle.

The woman who runs the tea house frets over Hana, who now realizes how very homeless she must look covered from head-to-toe in dirt and sweat. She offers Hana a place to sleep as long as she helps her husband work in their teahouse. Hana happily agrees and drinks all the tea she wants before she follows the tea woman back to her home. Her husband is just as kind as she is and even offers to pay for her work, though she declines.

"Are you sure?" Her husband asks in concern.

Hana smiles brightly. "Yes, you both have shown me great kindness just by offering me a bed. Anything more would be too much."

"I hope you will allow us to feed you." The woman smiles sweetly as she places a bowl of noodles and dumplings in front of her. "You are so young. A growing girl needs to have a few proper meals."

Hana gazes at the appetizing food. Having run on nothing but nuts, moon peaches and dried meat for days on end any meal would look decedent. "Okay, I'll take payment in the form of food. But that's all."

Her husband chuckles. "You have a deal."

The food tastes even better than it smells. The couple asks about her travels - although Hana keeps the details she reveals limited, only telling them of the places she's been, the family she left behind and how she misses them so. After dinner, the man tells Hana that he will wake her after dawn and we can get the day started on the farm.

* * *

She spends most of the next morning making batches of tea, helping the tea woman's husband make pastries, and washing dishes. Hana had planned to leave after she finishes, but the tea woman manages to convince her to stay another night with the promise of another delicious meal. She even teaches Hana how to make spicy noodle soup and pork dumplings.

The very next morning, Hana savors her last meal as she watches the tea woman fill her bag with more food for her long journey. Contentedness settles in her bones but Hana's mind wanders to the two Fire Nation fugitives. She wonders where they are, were they safe, whether they were hungry or cold or sleeping well.

"Where are you going to go?" The tea woman asks, shaking Hana from her fretting mind.

"I'm looking for someone. A friend, I think, but even if he isn't I need to find him nonetheless."

Her husband is surprised. "You don't even know who you're looking for."

Hana shakes her head, a little embarrassed as she answers. "No. That's why I think it will take much longer than I'd like it to. I miss my family dearly and I hope to get back to them soon. Although if I keep meeting people like you two on my journey, I don't think it will be all that bad."

To Hana's surprise, they engulf her in a hug. "If you ever come back this way, know that you are always welcome." The man says when they let Hana go.

"Trust me, I will definitely take you up on that offer. You two take care and I hope we meet again in the future." She smiles gratefully at them before heading towards the road.

* * *

A week passes from the last time Hana has seen the tea shop couple and she has officially run out of food. Last night she ate the last of her rations, a single piece of stale bread and five nuts, and is regretting eating the nuts out of boredom now.

She's tired and dirty and has never wanted more in her life than to go back when she had a bed and a home-cooked meal and a home full of people who love her. Hana will even take a home with her sisters, Iroh and Zuko again at this point.

Hana arrives in another village but doesn't stay long. This town is nicer than the other ones she's passed through and the people who reside there almost instantly start pointing and whispering when they see her appearance. She suspects nothing is more outrageous in an affluent city than a dirty traveler. Pulling her cloak around herself tighter and trying to make her disappear into the shadows of the buildings as she finishes up her business and vanishes from the town.

She continues down her path a little more relaxed and full than when she arrived. As the sun lowers, and the heat from the sun residing under the horizon, Hana's mind begins to wander again. This hasn't happened for a while, but she supposes it's due to actually not being starving and fatigued.

Shoving her hands in her coat pockets, her fingers graze a small tied bag. Hana pulls it out, and opens it out to find more tea she must have missed from the tea woman. Memories of Iroh wake in her mind. Iroh with her sisters - reading them stories and helping them with dinner and keeping them company while she was in the store - and Iroh's smug face as he finds Hana in Zuko's embrace.

Suddenly, like a roaring fire, Zuko takes up every inch of her thoughts. It's almost suffocating how much of him there is. She's only known him for two days. Two whole days of fighting and stubbornness and annoyed grunts and... affection. In a small corner of her mind, the memories she's stored glow and she feels something she can't easily forget. But then she's there to stamp it out. She's a traitor of the Fire Nation. He's a fugitive, and even if he wasn't - he's the Crown Prince. Someone like him would keel over before having the daughter of two merchants take up space in his heart.

The entire line of thought wears her out more than she already is. She looks up from the path and sees the sun starting to retreat behind the horizon. She veers off the road and into a crevasse in the mountains where she decides to set up camp. Her body is burning hot, from the top of her head to the bottoms of her feet she feels like she is on fire. To the point where she feels as if she caught a fever. Hana can't even bother to set up a full camp, just rolling out her bed-mat to lie on. Before she can fully fall asleep, she hears footsteps coming her way and before she can even think clearly, she's shooting a line of fire directly toward the noise.

The attack hits one of the mountain walls, causing a huge dust cloud to emerge behind it. A loud grunt followed by a long groan comes from the dust. Hana picks herself up from the resting spot to check out the intruder, her hands full of fire to protect herself if need be. She creeps behind the rock to find Iroh lying on the ground, massaging his behind.

He's laying on his stomach, his hair and beard are no longer nice and tidy, but long, shaggy, and unkempt. "That really hurt my tailbone."

"Don't you know not to sneak up on people," Hana says amused. When he hears her voice Iroh looks up to see it really is the girl from the Earth Kingdom store, a misty look overtaking his eyes.

Hana's heart squeezes at the sight of him. The strangely familiar feeling of family that washes over her. She offers a hand to help him to his feet and he jumps up to embrace her in a tight hug. She laughs and wraps herself around the old man as well. Although the scene is touching, the girl can't help but look around for another figure, another sign of life. Her heart seems to drop when she doesn't find it. "It's great to see you, too."

When he pulls away he scans Hana from head to toe, not quite sure whether to believe it is her or not. "What are you doing out here?"

Hana points back to her half set-up camp. "Right now, I was trying to get some sleep." When she mentions sleep, it seems that his exhaustion overtake Iroh as well. She rummages back in her pockets and pulls out the small tied bag. "Would you care to join me for some tea?" Hana asks, smiling when she sees Iroh perk up almost immediately.

"My girl. You know how to treat an old man." They sit down and Hana digs through her bag, pulling out a kettle to place on top of the burning fire. They do not speak for quite some time, each of them busing themselves with delegated tasks, and it is only when they have settled to relax that Iroh notices dark patches of grass. "My dear, were you followed here?" Iroh asks.

Hana turns her eyes to him. "Other than you, I don't believe so. Why do you ask?" Iroh points behind her and she turns to find scorched footprints in the grass. "Oh, I- I think those are mine," she says. She lifts up her foot to find the bottom of her shoes scorched. "Those are mine."

"How could those be yours?" Iroh asks.

She is confused for a moment before realizing that her sisters just might have kept their mouths shut and Iroh has absolutely no clue where her family was from. "Fire doesn't mix well with grass, I guess," she says nonchalantly before reaching out her hand and lighting the tip of her finger on fire.

Iroh takes in the slight before him - red, scarred skin wrapped in Imperial silk - and does not say another word, but the corners of his mouth turn up as if he knows the secrets unsaid between them. He looks down to the fire-pit, watching the water as it begins to boil. "Then those burns on your hands-"

"I did that to myself," she confirms. She tilts her head back to look at the sky and reaches her hand out to the milky blackness. She hated the marks on her skin, hated the reason she got them, hated what she did to deserve them, but for some reason the gloves that do not hide them but instead accentuate them made her hate them less.

Iroh chuckles. "It takes a strong person to make a decision like that. It must have been a very hard lesson you had to learn."

She's frozen for a moment, not expecting that kind of response, before nodding her head. "It was."

When the tea kettle begins to whistle, Hana keeps her eyes up. The stars are winking and shining, swirling together to make a full galaxy that has captured her entire attention. Iroh has left the fire lit even after the water is done heating up, casting a beautiful glow over everything surrounding them. Iroh pours the tea for the two as soon as he's deemed perfect. He offers the fellow firebender a cup and she takes it gratefully.

Silence settles over them as they drink, reveling in the easy comfort that they find in each other. But even in this comfort, the two still feel the sting of the missing party member whose empty space seems to get larger with each passing minute.

"I have noticed that you are without your companion," Hana finally says. "Where could he be?"

One of Iroh's eyebrows quirks up and he shakes his head. "I'm not sure. I've been tracking him, actually."

"Is he lost?" Hana inquiries, tilting her head to the side.

Iroh has a concerned look as his eyes meet hers. "Yes, a little bit. His life has recently changed and he's going through very difficult times. He is trying to figure out who he is and he went away."

"You're following him now though, right? You'll find him again." She asserts before sipping her tea.

"I know he doesn't want me around right now, but, if he needs me, I'll be there."

She smiles at him. I want to be there too, she thinks but as quick and as invasive the thought comes, the quicker she shakes it away. She sits back down with Iroh and sips her tea. "How far away is he?"

He looks up at her, a sly smile crossing his face. "Not sure, but he cannot be far. I'll be continuing my search when the sun rises. Would you care to join me?"

Hana can't stop the small whisper of a smile that pulls at her lips. "It'd be my honor."

* * *

The sun rises and Iroh and Hana set off to find their little fugitive. Truthfully, Hana thought it was going to be harder than it actually was. But also in her defense, she thought that his last predicament in which the Fire Nation found out he was in her family's village because he didn't cover his tracks was going to teach him a lesson or two.

Turns out she was gravely mistaken. Finding Zuko was as easy as finding a blood stain on white clothes.

What she didn't expect was for him to be in a fight with an armadillo bear. Iroh and Hana stand off to the side for only a moment to watch and laugh at the boy who looks severely outmatched.

She finally decides to step in when Zuko has been fully backed into a corner by the creature. She runs up to the side of the armadillo bear and surrounds herself in flames, making herself look three times bigger than she actually is. The creature, thankfully, takes the bait and backs away from Zuko, curling itself into a ball in the process.

At this point, Zuko doesn't know who his savior is. He is just looking up at this... this goddess of fire in awe and reverence. That is until said savior offers him a hand that is completely void of flame and he knows that silk glove and that scarred hand. He looks up once again and sees a familiar face pushing through the fire.

"Why is it that I always find you in the worst positions?" Hana laughs. "Are you sure you're a prince, because so far I've seen a penniless street peddler and a boy who's about to be mauled by an armadillo bear."

Sure, Zuko's pride is definitely hurt and because of that he doesn't want to take her hand but he reluctantly does. But only because her flames are getting weaker and the creature behind her is stirring. He slips his hand in hers and she takes off in the opposite direction. By the time they make it back to the clearing, the flames around Hana have disappeared completely and Zuko sees a familiar figure in the distance.

"Uncle," he cries and Iroh wraps his nephew in a hug. "How did you two find me? Why did you come to find me."

"I'm your uncle, you knew I wasn't just going to leave you out here to cause as much trouble as you'd like. You should be grateful that I came across Hana in my search," he replies quietly.

Hana grabs the two men by the arm and makes them crouch further. It seems that the armadillo bear has left its armored shell and is very angry at Hana and Zuko. "This is all touching and everything, but we should get as far away from here as physically possible before that thing finds us again."

The two men nod and get up to leave. Zuko falls behind his uncle and Hana, but Hana sees her opportunity to twist around, grab the prince by his robes, lean close to his ear and whisper. "It's good to see you again, Your Highness."

She flashes him one more breathtaking smile and Zuko is stunned, almost to the point of stopping where he stands just to watch her walk away. He keeps walking though, but he does find himself walking slower than the others to watch as Hana's dusty black pants sway around her feet with every step she takes. His eyes trail up her body, past the way the fabric clings to her hips and past how her top is cut to show her entire arms and her hair is pulled up, revealing her slender neck. His eyes rest on a shine of silk that envelops most of her arms and moves on her body like water.

Prince Zuko smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnd... Chapter 3 is done! I can tell you enough how much I have appreciated everyone who has read, kudos and even bookmarked my story. It means the world to me!
> 
> Please continue to kudos, comment, share, or even just reading these chapters I'm putting out. I hope you're liking it and I'll see you next week!


	4. The Nurse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana smiles at the girl. "I poured your tea because I wanted to-" she makes a large gesture with her hands even though the girl couldn't see her do it "-and for no other reason."
> 
> She nods her head, as if she believed the girl sitting before her. "People see me and think I'm weak. They want to take care of me. But I can take care of myself by myself."
> 
> "You sound like a friend of mine. Always thinking you need to do things on your own without anyone's support. There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you," she says, but catches her words at the last minute. "Not that I love you; I just met you."

> "If you want to conquer the world, you best have dragons."
> 
> ― George R. R. Martin, _A Dance with Dragons_

"Truly, I don't see the resemblance," Hana says, crouching behind Zuko.

They had been following shreds of bison fur for days now, and during that time the two men had been catching Hana up on the information she had to know. Information such as Zuko's sister, Azula, was the one in charge of bringing Zuko home in handcuffs and that she was not one to be underestimated.

The group stomps up a hill, and duck behind a bunch of fallen trees when they hear voices from the distance. Iroh points to a girl who couldn't be older than Zuko, but dressed in the riches of the Fire Nation, and explains to Hana that she is indeed the Fire Nation princess, and Zuko's younger sister, along with her companions along with four other bodies.

"So the one in the middle is supposed to be your sister?" Hana asks and Zuko nods. "And the two beside her are her friends, but who are the other four?"

Zuko points to a young boy, no older than Hana's own sisters but with the clears signs of an airbender marked on his skin. "That's the Avatar," he says, his voice cold. As Zuko describes him and the two others besides him who are his companions from the Water Nation, Hana's body becomes numb. That boy is the Avatar, the one who hasn't been seen for 100 years. That child is supposed to save them all. It's all hard to believe. "I don't recognize the other girl with them though," Zuko finishes.

They all turn their attention back to the seven individuals who look ready for a fight. They can't hear exactly what they are saying to each other until the older boy in Water Nation clothing, Sokka according to Zuko, turns to the earthbender, and yells "I can still fight!"

The Fire Princess and her friends proceeding up the hill quickly. The earthbender jabs her arms and fists in the air three times, while on the third opening her palms. The ground under the girl rumbles as earth descends down from her position, blasting rock everywhere. Large rock formations rise from the ground to stop them but they simply ride over each one.

The group speaks more words to each other before Aang, Sokka, and the other Water Tribe girl, Katara, run back their sky bison. The earthbender, however, does not. She once again assumes an earthbending stance and stomps the ground once. A large wall of earth rises up to block the path of the princess. Azula moves her right arm under herself while blue electricity sparkles around it then brings her left arm over and across her chest. She releases a blast of lightning which destroys a portion of the wall which the girls ride through to continue their pursuit.

Hana's own eyes glimmer at her first sight of lightning bending.

Katara and the Avatar are already in the saddle, Sokka is on the ground holding his sleeping bag, and the girl remains at the edge of the rock looking in amazement. One of the princess's friends, Mai, raises her left arm and releases four arrows from her wrists, and they head directly for the young girl. The earthbender bends and causes the ground under her to rise quickly propelling her upward. The arrows hit the rock.

The Avatar yells at his bison. "Appa, yip yip." The bison begins to fly away from the hill just as a blast of blue fire emerges from the dust cloud the girl's earthbending created. Azula points her right arm up in the sky, but lowers it as she notices they've gotten too far.

Hana's mouth drops as she watches the Avatar and his group run away from the fight. "Well that was... anticlimactic."

"Well the Avatar is a monk of the Air Nation, and they never believed-" Iroh is cut off when his nephew abruptly stands up and starts climbing over the stack of logs keeping them covered.

She grabs him by the foot and pulls him down, hard, to the ground. His stomach hits the floor, chin slamming into a tree trunk and for a moment the noise alerts the group to where they were hiding. Zuko turns his head towards Hana, looking like he wants to yell at her so she throws her hand over his mouth and puts a finger to her lips. They wait for a few moments, even Zuko doesn't move under Hana, before Iroh gives them the signal that the coast is clear.

Hana lets go of the prince and he immediately sits up, his forehead bumping into hers. "Ow, why would you-"

"Why did you pull me back?" He yells. "She was right there. We could have taken her out while we had the chance?"

She rubs at her forehead, a fire burning behind her eyes. "We had a chance?" She yells back. "You really think that after we've been following fur for days with very little food and sleep. You really think we could have taken your sister out when she is, how did you put it, not one to be underestimated."

The two teens are breathing hard in their anger, holding each other's gaze. Zuko is the one to break first, standing up and beginning to walk back down the hill. "Let's go, we have to hurry to catch up with them."

\---

"Stupid, hot-headed, arrogant, irrational-" Hana mumbles behind grinding teeth as she forages the forest for wood to make a fire. Normally, she'd try to be back as soon as possible but tonight she takes her time, kicking away chunks of wood and sticks they could normally use out of spite.

His uncle convinced Zuko to stop and take a rest for the night. Thank goodness he did that too or the three of them would have been walking through the forest all night long. Hana took that time to sneak off, under the guise of rounding up supplies of course, and blowing off some steam. So far, she's been gone for twenty minutes and has collected close to nothing but has cursed the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation way too many times to count.

Hana kicks a rock at her feet and follows it down the path, kicking it as she goes. "Who does he think he is? He'll end up getting himself killed before even getting close to the Avatar?"

She collapses to the ground, the soft grass embracing her. The young boy who was supposedly the Avatar burning its image into her brain. Hana shakes her head, not supposedly, is. Not only did the tattoos on his skin indicate that he was in fact an airbender, a bending that had been wiped out of existence decades ago, but the look in Zuko's eyes when he pointed him out was a look Hana had never seen from him before. It was cold, she'd say almost hatred but not quite. In fact, Hana couldn't pinpoint that exact emotion that was coming from the prince's eyes. She didn't even know her own emotions revolving around the Avatar no older than her own sisters. That was supposed to be the person who would save their world? A child with no training? A child who runs from a fight? A child who is supposed to be protected, not protect others?

She sighs and stares down the mountain side, the refreshing wind cooling her down her heated skin and anger. From just down the way, she spots the girl who was with the Avatar and his friends walking along between rocks and trees. Hana looks around but doesn't spot the other three she was with before. Taking this moment to meet one of the Avatar's friends, Hana gets up off the ground and takes one step before the girl halts completely. She turns towards Hana, making the firebender stop as she thinks the girl sees her. The girl tilts her head slightly, taking a breath before lifting her heads in the air as she bends the ground around Hana. The ground under her collapses completely and she slides towards the earthbender girl in a cloud of dust. Dirt and rocks rumble as she falls helplessly before hitting a rock that comes up out of nowhere and slams into the firebenders body to stop her. Hana groans, her back and legs aching from the fall. The earthbender girl walks up to Hana, looking down on her as she sits up the best she can with a throbbing back.

"How did you see me from all the way down the hill?" Hana asks. She flinches as she meets the girl's eyes and finds cold, dull eyes staring back at her. "Unless-"

The girl kicks her foot up and lands it right between Hana's legs. "I didn't see you, I'm blind," she says while pointing to her eyes. "I felt you when you took a step."

Hana only hesitates for a moment before a laugh breaks through her teeth and she reaches up to the girl. "Well then, since you knocked me on my ass then it's only fair for you to help me back up. You did a number on my back." The girl flinches, not expecting that kind of response to come from Hana. She swings her hands down, finding the firebenders and helping her back on her feet.

"Well then," the girl starts. "Sorry about that. I'll catch you around."

"Hold up," Hana says, stopping her with a grasp of her arm. The girl turns back to Hana but doesn't particularly look unnerved. "Do you wanna have some tea with me? I have some on me somewhere we can share?"

"Don't you have a group to go back to? Or are you alone?" She asks.

Immediately the image of Zuko, angry and looking down on her, flashes through her mind and her whole body heats up. The girl flinches, pulls her arm back from Hana, but doesn't take her eyes off the fire-bender. "I do, but they can wait," Hana finally says. "What about you? Anyone waiting up for you?"

This time the girl doesn't immediately respond but instead moves her body away from Hana. She takes a breath, and then starts walking down the path. After a few steps she stops, doesn't turn around but still says, "Are you coming or what?"

A smile breaks out on Hana's face and she practically skips behind the earthbender.

* * *

With the sun overhead slowly dipping past the horizon, the earthbender girl and Hana sit around a campfire on a rock ledge overlooking the scene. Hana hums as she pours tea for them both. She offers the girl a cup, but she doesn't take it immediately.

"You seem a little too young to be traveling alone," Hana asks the girl, knowing too well that the girl is traveling with the Avatar but she didn't need to know that.

The girl finally takes the cup from Hana, but does not drink from it, instead opting to hold it in between her hands and rest it between her crossed legs. "You don't seem much older than I am."

Hana's laughter breaks up the stream of breath she was using to cool down her tea. "I guess I could be, but I don't know how you would particularly know that other than the sound of my voice."

The earthbender girl narrows her eyes at Hana. "I know what you're thinking. I look like I can't handle being by myself."

"I wasn't thinking that," Hana says after she takes a drink. "You knocked me on my back by only feeling me take one step. I'd say that's more than capable."

The girl doesn't seem to really believe Hana's words, but she does take a sip of tea. "You wouldn't even let me pour my own cup of tea," she says with a tinge of annoyance in her voice."

Hana smiles at the girl. "I poured your tea because I wanted to-" she makes a large gesture with her hands even though the girl couldn't see her do it "-and for no other reason."

The girl takes another drink and lets Hana's words settle in her mind. She nods her head, as if she believed the girl sitting before her. "People see me and think I'm weak. They want to take care of me. But I can take care of myself by myself."

Hana has to bite the inside of her mouth to stop from laughing. She wants to laugh because the earthbender girl's words remind her of something Zuko would have said before. "You sound like a friend of mine. Always thinking you need to do things on your own without anyone's support. There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you," she says, but catches her words at the last minute. "Not that I love you; I just met you."

The girl actually laughs at that and Hana's heart feels a bit lighter at the sound of it. "So, where is your friend?"

Suddenly the good mood crumbles around her when she thinks of Zuko's attitude from the last day. "He's probably still waiting for me to come back to the campsite we put together," she sighs.

The earthbender girl actually looks a bit intrigued at Hana's annoyed grumble. "Shouldn't you be getting back to him then instead of drinking tea with me?"

Hana kicks her feet up, sets her cup down and rests her head in her hands. "Ha, no. In fact, I think I'll be staying away from him for a bit longer. He's just so hot-headed and reckless and doesn't think of anything else but his own goals that it feels like he just forgets about u- me. I think I'll turn the tables and keep him on his toes for a bit longer."

That smile stays put on the girl's face as she listens to her temporary companion. "It seems that my group and yours have completely different problems, yet make us feel the exact same way."

"Is that right?" Hana says, perking up a little at the mention of the Avatar's group.

The girl nods before sighing and slumping her shoulders in. "It kind of just feels like I'm in their way instead of helping them. I thought we were going in the same direction, but whenever it comes to it we're completely the opposite. And it's all of them versus me. I don't even know why they wanted me around." Hana sits silently while she listens to the girl talk about her group, the Avatar's group. "How do you keep going with your friend when he makes you feel unwanted?" The girl asks.

The question chills Hana's bones a bit, only because she doesn't really know how to answer her. "Most of the time I just remind myself that I need him and he needs me no matter what his ego says, but that's only when I'm so angry that I need the most rational answer. But when I calm down and actually think about him, I just try to remember that he's a good person even if he doesn't believe that sometimes. Anger and fear and frustration makes him say things he doesn't mean, but above all else as long as he protects me, especially from his own anger, I know sticking around is the best choice," she says. "Does that help at all?"

She actually nods and looks a bit calmer than she did before. "It does. Your friend is really lucky to have you, even if he doesn't know it," she says. "And thank you for the tea, it seems I needed it after all."

Hana can't keep the smile off her face. "My pleasure. Someone once told me that sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life's true delights."

"It sounds like you've surrounded yourself with good people," the girl says. "You've really helped me. I hope I can surround myself with equally good people one day too."

"I think you already have," Hana says.

The girl picks up her bag and begins to leave, but turns back briefly. "Oh, and about your friend? Maybe you should tell him that you need him around too, so maybe he'll stop doing such reckless things." She doesn't even wait for a reply before disappearing back into the forest. Hana stays by the fire for a couple peaceful moments longer before she decides to walk back to camp, stacks of wood in her arms.

Iroh is the first one who acknowledges her return. "Hana, my girl. You were gone a very long time," he says. "I was just about to send Zuko after you." Zuko doesn't even look up at Hana as she walks up beside him and drops the pile of wood next to him. He mutters a quick thank you and goes back to grilling hunks of meat.

"Yeah, I just went out on a walk. No need to worry, Your Royal Highness," she grumbles which, Iroh catches and can't stop but laugh to himself.

He places a warm hand on hers. "He is frustrated he wasn't able to do anything," he explains. "And he has always had a bit of a mood after he sees his sister." Hana raises an eyebrow, pointing to his angry demeanor he holds as he shoves wood into the fire. Iroh nods his head. "Zuko has a very different relationship as an older sibling than you do with those two little girls. There is unfortunately not much love between the two."

Zuko yelps and pulls his hands back when a flare of heated ash fly up at him. His uncle chuckles before getting up to check on his nephew. Hana sits back on her hands, watching the two men converse softly to each other. She can't stop thinking of the earthbender girl in the woods and the kind of impromptu advice she gave to her.

There is still so much she doesn't know. About the Nations, the Avatar and his whereabouts, but until then she realized that there is so much she doesn't know about the boy she's closely traveling with. From what his childhood in the Fire Nation Palace was like to even what his favorite food or animal was, Hana didn't know much about the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. She especially didn't know what his relationship was like with his sister, so maybe his reaction to seeing his sister made sense but she just wouldn't know.

She'd try to get to know more about him, and that would start with her settling herself next to him and asking him so many questions she'd annoy him more than usual.

* * *

It doesn't take them that long to track down Princess Azula, her friends and the Avatar's group. Especially since there was a trail of Sky Bison fur to follow. The young boy, who Hana still hasn't made peace with as the Avatar, stands in the middle of a seemingly abandoned town, his air-bender clothing flying in the wind as Azula crosses the distance to him.

"So what do we do now," Hana asks. "Let the Avatar do all the work and make our appearance afterwards or-"

Hana couldn't even finish her sentence before Zuko breaks apart from their group and races towards the center of the ghost town. The firebender girl can barely even catch her breath before taking off after him. She catches a few words from the princess. "Do you really want to fight me?" Azula chides before Zuko bursts into their lines of sight from an alley between the Avatar and Azula. He tumbles onto the ground, and lands in a crouching position.

"Yes," he says in a solid voice as he stands. "I really do."

The Avatar and his friends stare at the prince with their mouths wide-open. Even the Avatar himself calls out to Zuko, his own expression getting steelier than he was faced with the Fire Nation Princess.

Zuko's sister laughs. "I was wondering when you'd show up, Zuzu."

Hana keeps herself hidden under the shadows of run-down buildings, not sure when to come out. It all feels so foreign to her. As if she's trespassing on a situation that is none of her business. She bounces on her feet, her heart rate getting increasingly faster as she sees the Fire Nation Prince gets into a firebending stance. He faces Azula, but his arms are outstretched both towards her and towards the Avatar on his other side. "Back off, Azula! He's mine!"

His words stop Hana cold in her tracks, but his sister just smiles. "I'm not going anywhere."

She assumes her own firebending stance, but nobody makes the first move. Hana's eyes jump from face to face. Zuko has his eyebrows knitted and teeth bared. Azula wears nothing more than a confident gaze and wicked tenseness. And the Avatar's eyes are blown out wide. Zuko's gaze shifts from side to side and he scrutinizes his opponents. Then Azula launches a blast of blue fire at Zuko, who blocks with a wall of his own fire. Though he blocks the blast, it does knock him to the ground with a crash. The Avatar flinches and jumps into the air with his glider. Azula knocks him out of the sky with a wave of blue fire. Aang lands safely, using his staff as a helicopter blade to both break his fall and dissipate the blue fire in his immediate vicinity.

Aang rolls over on the ground to get up, but Azula lands near him after jumping off a nearby roof. He avoids her, gets up with his staff. Hana's own body seems to move for her as she steps out into the open and fires a blast at Azula from her spot at the side of the town. The princess seems to be taken aback that there was another firebender in her presence fighting her before shooting her a deathly glare. Though she doesn't give her much mind after that. Azula launches blast after blast of blue fire at Aang, but he dodges and runs around her. Hana fires several more shots to try and get the Fire Nation Princess off of the Avatar's tail.

In that time, Azula manages to chase Aang into the upper floor of a bombed out building. Hana turns back after she sees them disappear to go back and check on Zuko. He's hurt, but not badly enough for him not to get up. When she gets there, Iroh is already by his side and helping him up.

"What are you doing?" He growls when he sees Hana. She fumbles her words, trying to explain that she came back for him but he cuts her off. "Don't worry about me, you're supposed to be going after her."

Hana finally finds her words. "But I needed to know that you were okay."

Zuko flinches at her words and watery expression, but doesn't even give her a reply as he gets up and sprints into the building where his sister and the Avatar disappeared into. She wants to go after him, but before she can a girl with both buns and pigtails and a bored stare, Mai, she remembers Zuko telling her, stops her. "You don't look nearly strong enough to be with Zuko," she says.

Hana glances up at the building, watching as flashes of fire blow out glass and scorch walls. She knows she doesn't have time for this as she gets into a firebending stance. "Then come and see what I'm made of."

As Zuko runs into the building, Azula is just getting up from a blow from Aang. The Crown Prince screams in surprise as he hits the ground below with a crash. His body keeps him down as Azula fires several shots at the Avatar which miss him easily while he's on his air scooter. Aang dissolves his scooter, bounding over to the princess on the ledge and knocks her off. She lands, gracefully and ready for action, next to Zuko who is still struggling to get up from where he landed.

Aang runs out of the door he originally entered through on the second floor before running down to the street level. Suddenly, the side of the building is blown open by a blast of blue fire and Zuko is blown out onto the street. He lands in between Hana and Mai. As soon as he lands, the other girl pauses and looks between Zuko and Hana. Mai's blood boils as she watches her opponent disperses the fire from her hands and runs to Zuko. She wants to pin her up against the tallest wall and leave her there, but instead turns on her heel and runs off to help Azula.

Azula jumps out of the building and starts firing blasts at Aang. He dodges each, jumping up between the walls of a nearby alley, scaling the buildings. As he reaches the top of the building on the left, Azula slices off a piece of the building with a blast of fire. The chunk of building falls out from under him, but he catches on to the remainder of the building. Azula repeats the process and this time Aang is unable to recover. He falls into the building beneath a heap of rubble.

Aang looks up from the rubble in which he is entombed inside the building. Azula enters and lights the rubble around the room on fire. Aang tries to free himself from being trapped underneath a large beam, but fails. Azula walks forward with a cruel smile. Azula assumes a firebending stance, her right hand raised to strike. Before the princess can do anything, Hana swings her foot under Azula to knock her down to the floor.

Azula's eyes narrow in realization that Hana stopped her. "Who do you think you are getting in my way?" Her voice is shocked and huffy with anger, but Hana can't stop the smile that forms on her face.

The princess sets her sights on the fellow firebender, sending shot after shot her way that Hana wishes she could dodge more gracefully, but dodges none-the-less. From the corner of her eye she can see Zuko throwing his own fireballs at Mai while the Avatar's group works on the third girl. During those few moments that her eyes are off the princess, massive puffs of dirt and dust surround Hana.

"You should pay attention to your surroundings," Azula laughs before the building next to her collapses onto Hana, covering her in piles of cement and dirt.

* * *

Hana isn't sure how long she's under the rubble, but her limbs feel like rock when she does come too. The pieces of clay and stone are weak and crumble as she pushes them off of her. Her lungs and heart tighten up when she keeps digging to only find more building above her. She can't stop herself from thinking that she's been buried alive. After some time she hears a voice above her and the rubble begins disappearing until the sun meets her eyes. She reaches up a hand that is grabbed and she is pulled out of the destruction. Hana groans, taking the fresh air into her lungs. Someone helps her sit up slowly, hands pushing off the rocks and dust before pulling her out completely. A gentle hand placed firmly against her ribs confirms at least a few had to be broken, but having a building dropped on her wasn't a pleasant experience.

Her bleary eyesight clears up enough to recognize the face of a young waterbender girl, Katara, she remembers, holding her close.

"Hana!" A voice cries. When she turns towards it, she sees Zuko barreling towards her and collapsing onto the destroyed building. The firebender winces and pain shots through her when he pulls her out of Katara's arms, but Hana lets herself be wrapped up by him. She groans softly as Zuko holds Hana tight and has no indication of letting her go.

The rest of the Avatar's group approach from behind and Katara begins to reach out to them. When the Prince sees them, he holds Hana tighter. "Get away from us!" He yells.

Hana tilts her head to look at the Avatar's group and sees the earthbender girl who had tea with her. The Water Tribe girl places one hand over her heart and stretches out the other in a gesture of aid freely offered. "Zuko, I can help her," she says.

Hana wants to reach out to her, but Zuko lets go of his companion with one hand and unleashes a wave of fire over the group's heads. "Leave," he growls.

Knowing there is nothing they can do anymore, the four leave Zuko and Hana amidst the burning buildings. Rising pillars of smoke and fire emanating from the burning ghost town. They stay there for a while longer, Zuko not letting up on his grip and Hana relaxing to the beat of his heart. When they pull away from each other, Hana can't stop the groan of pain that flows through her. "Don't do that again. I saw the building go and I-"

"I'm okay. I'm safe now. A few ribs are probably broken but it's nothing we can't fix." Hana shakes her head, rubble and sand falling from her dirty hair as he picks her up to a standing position.

"Do you think you can walk?" Zuko's voice is tentative yet gravelly, a warm hand placing itself on the small of her back.

Truthfully, she knows the answer but everything in her does not want that to be the answer at all. "I don't know," she ends up answering. "Let's see." She takes a step forward but quickly doubles over in pain. Zuko immediately takes most of her weight.

"I'm carrying you." Hana tries to argue but the Prince doesn't listen. Picking her up bridal style Zuko marches towards base camp, spotting his uncle rushing towards them and instantly fretting over the two.

Iroh places a gentle hand on Hana's forehead. "I saw the explosion. I hoped you two weren't apart of it, but-"

Hana shakes her head. "It was Azula, payback for getting in her way," she says in a raspy voice.

"We can talk about how much of a monster my sister is later, but right now she's hurt and that comes first," Zuko says. His hand gripping Hana's leg tighter as he repositions her. She coughs harshly when he moves her and a light blush barely noticeable through the dirt paints her skin. As soon as they make it to a clearing Iroh begins to dig around in his bag before pulling out a splint and wrappings. Zuko holds Hana still as Iroh does what he can to mend her.

After she's thoroughly wrapped up, Zuko takes a seat next to her and she subconsciously leans her head against Zuko's chest. She gazes up at his pale face, slightly sunburned and dotted with newly purpling bruises from the fight. They enjoy each other's presence in the peaceful silence for a couple breaths before he goes back to cradling Hana in his arms like he did when he first found her. He doesn't even think to let her go, and neither of them seem to mind the closeness.

"God, I'm gonna kill Azula, dropping a building on you- I can't believe we're related," Zuko grumbles, scowling into the distance.

"I can't believe you're related either. You're much too sweet, nothing like her at all," Hana jokes, massaging a particularly sore rib through her wrappings.

"Oh har-har, very funny," he grumbles, chin resting on the top of her dusty head.

Feeling Zuko's mounting anger literally radiating from him like a furnace, Hana strokes his arm to try to stem his worries. "I'm fine though, see? Within a week I'll be back to normal, just you wait." She looks up, seeing Zuko gazing down at her with an unreadable expression on his face. "What?" No response. "Your Highness, you okay?"

Zuko stares at her for a breath longer, his eyes sparkling in the sunlight. He shakes his head before setting her down onto the only bedspread they have. He covers her up, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Hana stares up at him as he does that, watching his eyes scan her face. When their eyes finally lock, a wild blush rises to Zuko's cheeks and he clears his throat, untangling himself from Hana and standing up.

"Just focus on healing. No sudden movements and no fighting or training," Zuko says, which causes Hana to grumble. "One you're all better we'll set off for Ba Sing Sae."

Then he takes one last look at her before leaving her alone.

When Zuko returns to check up on her, Hana is still except for the rise and fall of her stomach as she breathes. He checks her body over, looking over bruises and cuts, but always finds that his eyes flicker back to her face. As he gazes down at her, he unconsciously begins memorizing her face. Her curved hairline framing a symmetrical face with angular-sharp cheekbones and a pointed chin. Her bow-shaped lips. Her slender, up-turned nose. Her long lashes that fan the tops of her cheeks and finely arched, black eyebrows that follow the curve of her large eyes.

He notices dark purple circles that bloom under those eyes, almost like bruises. He wonders when the last time any of them had a good night's sleep/ Iroh calls for his nephew and he tentatively leaves Hana alone once again.

"Zuko, perhaps you should get some rest," Iroh advises.

"I'm not tired," he replies automatically, without feeling and without taking his eyes off of the tent.

"How about a relaxing cup of tea, it will ease your mind," he offers as his eyes inspect his nephew's anxious face. Zuko glances over at Iroh and gives a slight nod, only to have his eyes return to the tent. He's not sure how long he gazes in that direction, but next thing he knows Iroh is passing him a cup of steaming tea with a gentle smile upon his face. "She will be fine." His eyes move to the tent when Zuko collects the cup from his hands. "She is a strong woman. Heart of a dragon that one has, and a dragon cannot be taken down so easily."

The prince finally moves his gaze from Hana's direction. "How can you be so sure?" Zuko flinches when he hears the strain in his voice as the last word cracks.

"You've seen her determination, her drive; she will be ready when she's ready. You will have to be patient until then." He lifts his cup, taking a long sip.

Unfortunately, patience isn't one of Zuko's strongest qualities.

* * *

Morning rises and so does Hana. She smiles at the sun high in the sky by the time she wakes. She sits up with a burn of pain and enjoys the moment of silence she gets. Sadly, she doesn't get that peace for long before Iroh walks into the tent, Prince Zuko right on his heels. He looks at her with a concerned look on his face, a strange look on the face of the prince.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like a building fell on me." The coy smirk that appears on her face unravels the knot that had been in Zuko's chest all night.

She grunts in pain as she moves forward to pull her legs up against her. Iroh hands her a steaming cup of tea with an encouraging grin.

"Thank you." She takes the cup but sets it down almost immediately. "But first, I'm going to relieve some of this pain."

She holds out her hand with her palm up - until a red flame appears. She holds it close to her sore muscles and she relaxes almost immediately. Zuko and Iroh can't help but look at her in awe before bombarding her with questions of why and how and what and how.

Hana giggles to herself as she puts out the flame. "Hey, waterbenders can't be the only healers. That seems kind of unfair, don't you think? Plus I thought it would be a neat party trick to see what people's faces would look like when they see a firebender healing instead of destroying. And by your faces, it looks to have worked like a charm." She picks up her tea and takes a sip. "So, did I hear something about Ba Sing Sae?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a day late, but I hope I've made up for it with a chapter that's a little bit longer!
> 
> Now obviously at this point we're going to be going off the path a bit from the original show, but I promise it'll be engaging none-the-less. Of course, I still would love to thank everyone who has read, liked and so forth until now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will see you next week!


	5. The Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iroh shakes his head at his nephew's anger. "Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source," he says. "True humility is the only antidote to shame."
> 
> At that statement Zuko actually looks Hana up and down before making a disdainful face. "Well... my life has been nothing but humbling lately."
> 
> Hana's blood boils almost instantly at his words. Humbling! She's humbled him, is that what he thinks? Iroh opens his mouth to say something to his nephew but Hana talks over him. "Oh I see how you really feel," she says. "If I humble you so much then why am I even here? I might as well go off on my own if I bring you down so much."

> "Dragons teach us that if we want to climb high we have to do it against the wind."
> 
> -Chinese Proverb

Warm, summer breeze sweeps Hana hair past her shoulders. The heat from the slowly setting sun makes her exposed skin red under its rays. She sighs before tilting her head back, letting the rest of her body follow as she lays down on the grass from her sitting position. Shockingly, there is no pain even with the fast movements. She rolls her head from side-to-side, looking for the Prince or his uncle but it seems as if she's alone. For once, Hana revels in the silence that surrounds her. She stretches out on the grass, hearing her joints crack and pop with her movements.

"Don't relax too much." Hana hears a voice from beside her. "You'll never know who will walk up on you." The firebender throws herself onto her feet, to find a man sitting on his knees next to her. His expression is relaxed, calming even as he raises one hand to wave at her. "Remember me, kid?"

Hana can't even find the words to say as she stares at the man in front of her. In fact, it's as if no words could come out of her mouth even if she tried.

"Now, now," he says. "Don't freak out, this isn't real. We're in your head, a dream. I can't hurt you anymore than I already have. I never even got to apologize for that, well you know that, but I mean I never even got to realize what I did was wrong while I was still alive. I've been waiting here hoping for you to swing by, so that I could properly voice my regrets. You did the best you could to protect your folks, and at such a young age. I wish that my own children could grow into half the person you are, little flame."

Hana's heart stops at the knowledge of his children, then she finds her words. "I- I'm sorry, I didn't k-"

"I know you didn't," the man replies. "There was no way to know. I didn't give you the chance to find out before we went in without giving you a chance. You did what you had to do." He takes her hand, but surprisingly it just feels like a gust of wind passing over her skin. "Don't swim in that pain forever, no longer than you already have been in that pool."

Hana goes to reach out to the man but she just passes through him and tumbles to the ground. The world around her turns to black when she's supposed to hit a flat surface and she's floating in listlessness for a breath before coming to. It's just as bright as it was in her dream, but the light is streaming in through the flaps of the tent.

She slowly sits up, the pain from the attack still lingering on her body. Soreness pulses in her tender muscles, telling her the heat from her last fire healing has cooled off.

Hana attempts to stand up but winces in pain. The splint has been repositioned and a fresh bandage is tightly wrapped around the light fabric clinging to her sweating skin.

From outside the tent, she can't see the two firebenders but can still hear them. They sit close to the tent, just to the side where Hana slept and they lounge about while trying to figure out their next plan of attack. "It was a surprise attack," Zuko says.

Iroh shakes his head. "Somehow, that's not so surprising."

Hana's grunts of pain as she crawls out of the tent alert the Prince and his uncle. Zuko gets up the moment he sees her and wraps his arms under her shoulders, helps her over to where his uncle sat and Iroh hands her a steaming cup while his nephew sets her down comfortably.

"I hope I made it the way you like it," Iroh says with a smile that makes Hana feel like nothing had ever happened. "How are you feeling, my girl?"

Hana takes a sip from the cup and her eyes widen. A bit of her pain washes away as soon as the liquid hits her tongue. Truly nothing would ever be as good as a cup of tea made by General Iroh of the Fire Nation. He even makes the cheapest tea in the middle of the desert taste like tea made for a royal.

"I think it's getting better. I'm mostly just sore now," she says. "I'm sorry that I'm making you guys wait around here for me to get better."

To her surprise, even Zuko shakes his head. "Don't be, besides I've been thinking that this could be a good opportunity for me," he says. He turns to face his uncle. "It's only a matter of time before I run into Azula again. I'm going to need to know more advanced firebending if I want to stand a chance against her. I know what you're going to say: she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her."

Iroh doesn't even hesitate to answer his nephew, especially after his gaze turns back to Hana and he takes in her cuts, bruises and bandages. "No, she's crazy and she needs to go down." Zuko nods, and Hana watches as the two get up to get some distance between her and them. "It's time to resume your training."

Hana brings up another handful of fire to her back and tries to relieve some of the soreness as she watches the two firebenders. She'd never seen Iroh more serious before.

The stance that Iroh gets into is not too far off from a firebending stance. "Lightning is a pure expression of firebending, without aggression. It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other firebending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire," he says. He moves fluidly, the air around him turning electric. "It is precise and deadly, like Azula. To perform the technique requires peace of mind."

They are both concentrating hard on each other that feels like Hana's been forgotten all by her pained lonesome. Her eyes wander around the scene, through their location and over the two firebenders. At one point, Zuko's eyes catch hers and she gives him a thumbs up as confidently as the look in his eyes. The way he turns his face away from her almost instantly brings a cocky smile to her face.

"There is energy all around us," Iroh continues. "The energy is both yin and yang; positive energy and negative energy." He brings his arms in and holds up one finger on each hand to stand for the two forms of energy. "Only a select few firebenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance and in a moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together." He brings his hands together to illustrate the point. "You provide release and guidance, creating lightning."

Iroh holds out a hand, signaling for Zuko to step back and his nephew listens to him. He holds his right hand to his side and with two fingers extended begins to create lightning by rotating his arm in a circular motion around his body. He mimics the motion with his left arm. Zuko's face looks just as impressed as Hana feels watching Iroh conduct electricity. The old man brings his two hands together and then lunges forward with his right hand extended and shoots lightning into the distance.

Zuko can even contain the smile on his face as he steps up to his uncle. "I'm ready to try it!"

Iroh rubs at his shoulder slightly. "Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it. You are simply its humble guide. Breathe first."

To be its humble guide. Hana grimaces, she wasn't really sure if anyone - especially Zuko - could do that. Zuko breathes in and closes his eyes. He then begins to mimic the motions that Iroh performed, except that he does not create traces of lightning. Iroh's eyes don't leave his nephew as he takes baby steps into lightningbending. Zuko shouts and shoves his right hand forward, but it merely causes a fiery explosion that shoves him backward. He falls on his back next to Iroh and his uncle shakes his head slightly.

The training goes on for a couple more hours until the hill that they set camp up on is smoldering in ash. Hana's able to get up on her own and take a few steps when Zuko gets blown back by another explosion. He has a frustrated look on his face when he storms back to the camp, but even still he takes a cup of tea from Hana when she hands it to him. Though he does slam it down and push it back into her hands with a grudge. Iroh looks on while leaning against a clump of rocks not set aflame.

"Why can't I do it?" Zuko questions harshly. "Instead of lightning, it keeps exploding in my face! Like everything always does!"

Iroh gets up from his spot and walks over to Zuko. "I was afraid this might happen. You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you."

Anger washes across Zuko's face, his hands clenching tighter. He looks as if he might burst into flames at any moment. "What turmoil?"

"Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away," Iroh says. He tries to take Zuko's shoulder but the Prince pulls away harshly.

"But I don't feel any shame at all! I'm as proud as ever!" At this point, Zuko sounds like a child throwing a tantrum but Hana bites her lip. It's not her fight to have. She's known from the start that the Prince's pride and ego were larger than life, but she's never seen it in action. Never seen how much it makes him act like one of her sisters when dinner isn't ready on time.

Iroh shakes his head at his nephew's anger. "Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source," he says. "True humility is the only antidote to shame."

At that statement Zuko actually looks Hana up and down before making a disdainful face. "Well... my life has been nothing but humbling lately."

Hana's blood boils almost instantly at his words. Humbling! She's humbled him, is that what he thinks? Iroh opens his mouth to say something to his nephew but Hana talks over him. "Oh I see how you really feel," she says. "If I humble you so much then why am I even here? I might as well go off on my own if I bring you down so much." Zuko's angry expression breaks immediately at Hana's words and he actually steps closer to her. "Actually as long as you can't figure out how to bend lighting, I may as well teach you a firebending move even your monstrous sister won't know."

Without giving Zuko the chance to say another word Hana works her sore muscles into a firebending stance and shoves all the heat pouring through her veins into the cracks in the ground Zuko had created through his training. Fast licks of flame work through the ground and finally find the spots under Zuko's feet. She gives enough time for a blink of an eye before Zuko is engulfed in flames. It wasn't a new move, but she wanted to get back at him one way and this way he wouldn't even see it coming.

"I don't think you have enough humility, might as well learn your lesson by singeing a couple clumps of hair off," she snarls once more before setting off. Not without getting a glance at him desperately putting out his hair first though.

Iroh and Zuko stare at Hana as she walks, more like painfully limping but tries to hide it and fails, away into the tent. They can even hear his grumbling under her breath, not unlike she did in the forest all those days ago.

A disappointed scowl crosses Zuko's face, though that scowl is not for Hana but instead for himself. He feels a tug at his sleeve and he turns his head to see his uncle pulling him off the hill. They silently walk down cracked ground together until they reach the ghost town again, and this time it truly was a ghost town. Not even the Avatar's group or his sister's resided there anymore. Iroh starts drawing the symbols of each of the bending disciplines in the dirt with a stick while Zuko finds a spot not overtaken by rubble and sits cross-legged nearby, observing intently.

"Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want. Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring. Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had pretty good senses of humor!" Iroh smiles widely, but Zuko doesn't react. "Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything."

Zuko leans back against his hands. "Why are you telling me these things?"

"It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If we take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale," Iroh says. He draws lines separating the four symbols in the dirt. "Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole."

"All these four elements talk sounds like Avatar stuff," Zuko huffs.

Iroh smiles at his nephew. "It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful. But, it can make you more powerful too," Iroh says. He pokes Zuko's chest with his stick. "You see, the technique I am about to teach you is one I learned by studying the waterbenders."

Finally Zuko looks intrigued. Intrigued enough for Zuko to let his uncle pull him inside a still-standing building to practice waterbending moves. It's not as if they were working with water, neither man could bend the element, but instead they were practicing the stances and movements that a waterbender would practice.

"Waterbenders deal with the flow of energy," Iroh says. "A waterbender lets their defense become their offense, turning their opponents' energy against them. I learned a way to do this with lightning."

This perks up Zuko's ears. "You can teach me to redirect lightning?"

Iroh nods and smiles at the enthusiasm that crosses over his nephew's face. "If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it." Iroh points with his right arm at an angle into the air and points at it with his other hand. "You must create a pathway from your fingertips up your arm to your shoulder and down into your stomach." He moves his left hand from his arm, to his shoulder, and then to his stomach. "The stomach is the source of energy in your body. It is called the sea of chi. Only in my case, it is more like a vast ocean. "He laughs, but Zuko remains stoic. "You direct it up again and out the other arm." He points off into the distance with his left arm. "The stomach detour is critical. You must not let the lightning pass through your heart-" Iroh walks up to Zuko and points his fingers at his chest "-or the damage could be deadly. You may wish to try a physical motion to get a feel for the pathway's flow. Like this." He points to the left with both his arms and Zuko mimics the motion. Iroh then takes his right arm and points it in the other direction. Zuko copies this move as well. Iroh and Zuko then move their left arms to the right and back again. "Now, are you focusing your energy? Can you feel your own chi flowing in, down, up, and out?"

Zuko takes deep breaths, in and out. "I think so." The Prince continues to mimic the motions his uncle shows him. He begins to move his arms in waving motions at his sides.

Iroh hums as he continues his fluid movement. "Come on," he says. "You've got to feel the flow."

The sun has dropped deep below the horizon by the time Hana crawls out of the tent to go find her boys. She had fallen asleep right after they left to train in the ghost town at the base of the mountain. She was pleased to find that her muscles and bones were much less sore than when she fell asleep. Maybe screaming at Zuko was just the kick she needed to fully recover.

When she reaches the ghost town, she sees that Zuko and Iroh are still practicing their motions. Iroh stops after some time and stands in front of Zuko. "Excellent! You've got it!" Iroh says.

Zuko bows slightly, putting his hands together and trying to hide the pleased smile on his face. "Great! I'm ready to try it with real lightning!" Zuko says. That smile drops completely when he notices the questioning look that his uncle is giving him.

"What, are you crazy?" Iroh says. "Lightning is very dangerous."

Annoyance runs through his veins. Zuko clenches his jaw and has to push his words through them. "I thought that was the point: you were teaching me how to protect myself from it."

Iroh frantically stutters. "But I'm not going to shoot lightning at you!" He waves his arms around defensively. He turns away from Zuko and looks at him out of the corner of his eye. "If you are lucky, you will never have to use this technique at all." Iroh walks out of the ghost town and back to the camp but doesn't notice Hana crouched behind the rubble. When she moves in closer, she can hear the angry rumble come out of Zuko's mouth.

"Well, if you won't help me, I'll find my own lightning," he says. Zuko runs off in the direction opposite of Hana and she instinctively follows him. A light splatter of rain lands on her skin as she walks behind Zuko. He walked up the mountain on the other side of the town and by the time he reached the peak, it was completely pouring on them.

Zuko looks up at the cloud. "You've always thrown everything you could at me! Well, I can take it! And now I can give it back!" Lightning strikes in the distance. Hana can't see his face from where she is at but she can feel her own heart hammering in her chest by the electric currents that came with the lightning. Zuko glances up at the sky. "Come on! Strike me! You've never held back before!"

He closes his eyes and a stream of tears run from his eyes. He raises his arms and shouts before collapsing onto his hands and knees.

Not being able to watch the scene anymore, Hana comes out from her hiding place and takes slow steps towards the Prince. Zuko's still on his knees when she reaches him. He's thrown his head back and lets the rain mix together with his tears. Hana throws her cloak over him, covering him from the rain. "You think catching a cold is gonna help us out?" She says. He pushes a part of the cloak back to look at her face. "I'm almost healed up, we can't have you getting sick."

Zuko lets silence fall in between them as the rain keeps falling hard on them. Kneeling down besides him, Hana places a hand in the center of his back. A gust of cold, rainy wind passes through them and she feels him shiver under her touch. Now she's glad she gave him the extra protection because to her the wind is only refreshing to her heated skin.

"How long are you going to sit and pout out here?" She asks. "Aren't you cold at all, and don't say you aren't cause I can feel you shivering?"

He pulls away from her hand which causes her to chuckle a little. "I don't need your pity or your persecution for what I said earlier. Didn't you punish me enough with your little charade?" Zuko says ruffling his hair. "I didn't mean it and I shouldn't have said it. I was just tired and frustrated and I took it out on you."

Hana brushes him off, it's not like she was expecting an apology from the Prince anyways. The rain starts to let up a little which Hana is thankful for since she realized that Zuko wasn't going to move anytime soon. "I'm already over it," she says. "But it did sting a little, I didn't know you felt so humbled with all of this."

"How would you feel? To go from the Crown Prince of an entire Nation to banished and sent off on an impossible mission to bring the Avatar back?" Zuko doesn't look at her while he talks. Sure, Hana couldn't understand but she saw how much it hurt him just by how he spoke.

She tilts her head back, letting the reminder of the rain dot her face. "Maybe I don't understand being a Prince but I do understand losing seemingly everything you've known overnight. I understand making the worst mistake of your life and wanting to do everything in your power to fix it."

This catches his attention so much that he finally turns his head to look at Hana. She pulls her knees up to her chest, wraps her arms and rests her head on top of her knees. Droplets of rain drip down her temples and strands of hair.

Hana smiles at the Fire Prince. Her glistening golden eyes draw him in and keep him there as long as she wants too. Zuko's completely mesmerized, to the point where he doesn't even notice when she takes his hand. His eyes travel down her neck, shoulder, arm before he lands on their hands as she intertwines their fingers together. Red, scarred skin greatly contrasting his pale skin. The last time he truly studied those hands were back in her home - that felt like months ago when it was really only a couple of weeks.

"Do you want to know how my hands got this badly burned?" Hana asks. Her face is so calm and open despite the loaded question she just asked, but it's because of that look in her eyes that he slowly nods his head. "I was only thirteen, and my sisters were younger, around eight or nine. It was during the first week in the Earth Kingdom. We had a rough go of it just getting out of the Fire Nation, but as soon as we were able to get out we thought that it was going to be easier from there on. There wasn't anymore help for us in the Earth Nation than there was in the Fire Nation. By then we were all tired and starving and couldn't find a place to sleep no matter where we looked. We slept in forests a lot back then, and one night there was a group of men who found us sleeping and decided to rob my little family of five. My parents ended up waking up while they were going through our stuff and one of them got mad that he didn't find anything worth taking so he went after them for all the valuables on them. They're not fighters. My dad is a firebender but he's never done more than light campfires or make background light for shadow puppets. I don't remember much after I woke up and saw a man have my father by the throat except for my mother's screaming and my sisters crying. Then it's a blur of heat and more screaming and fire... there was so much fire. I didn't know that someone died until a few days later.

"We made it to a little village that was holding a vigil for him inside his home. When I saw his picture and the crying people surrounding it, I've never felt more hollow. My parents told me I passed out soon after and didn't wake up for days afterwards, and that I ran such a high fever that they feared I'd die from it. Back then I wish I had. I couldn't look at my parents, my sisters after I did wake up. I felt like the firebending monster that all the other Nations are told to fear. I made the decision to burn my own hands down to the bone to make sure that I would never make the same mistake. That I would never take another life with my fire ever again."

Zuko's stomach turns as he listens. Never before could he look at the girl in front of him and think such things happened to her, that she could do such a thing. But as she speaks, she holds her hands close to her heart, the hands that still grip his, and he feels the hammering of her heart. When he looks back up at her to speak, his voice comes out hoarse, barely audible. "I- I don't-"

"You don't have to say anything," she interrupts him. "I just wanted you to know that you aren't the only one who's made mistakes, some awful mistakes that you'll never forget or forgive yourself for. Don't make your life any harder by asking for pain, especially from the people who love you the most. My mother always tells me that we aren't our worst mistakes, that we're made up of all the little things we do day-to-day whether it be good or bad."

The Prince nods his head. The knot in his chest unravels just a bit as they sit in silence. Somehow being with this girl made his burden easier to shoulder, made the shame of his mistakes easier to carry. "Does it get easier?" he asks.

Hana swallows a lump in her throat as she looks down on her hands, remembering the man in her dreams. "Every day."


	6. The Refugees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All of the muscles in Hana's body tense up as she looks out of a crack to see two men holding up a picture of Zuko and Iroh. A fire sparks on her fingers and licks the wood walls, turning those spots to ash. She pulls herself away when she notices and brings her shaking hands to her chest. Someone grips her shoulder and when she turns around, way too wound up than she thinks she needs to be, to be face to face with the prince. And in his hands is the Fire Lily. 
> 
> He brings the plant up to her face. "Relax."

> "A life fueled by passions is like riding on the back of a dragon."
> 
> ― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun

Within hours of Hana and her group first leaving their camp their surroundings change from a lush forest to a sparse desert. Hana woke up that morning more or less ready to continue going towards Ba Sing Sae, but the longer they go on the harder it gets to keep going. Her chest feels like it's shrinking around her heart and lungs, making it harder and harder to breathe with each step she takes.

"Maybe we should make camp," Zuko says to Hana's surprise.

"No, please, don't stop for me!" Iroh says in a pained voice. He looks as bad as Hana feels.

Iroh lets out several more pained groans before Zuko stops in his tracks. As soon as they stop, Hana and Iroh collapse onto the sandy ground. The Prince visibly rolls his eyes at the two trying to catch their breath, though even he's glad for a bit of a break. He's about to sit down until he feels something unusual about their environment and instead takes a defensive posture.

Even Iroh sounds a bit annoyed. "What now?"

Rough Rhinos streak through the foliage around them. A man on one of those rhinos stamps the ground forcefully, breaking the surface crust before pulling back on the rhino's reins. Zuko doesn't leave his defensive posture, and he even tightens up a bit when he feels Hana's hand grip his pant leg. Though Iroh brightens, he gets up and places a hand on Zuko's shoulder.

"Colonel Mongke!" Iroh says with a wide smile. "What a pleasant surprise!"

The man Iroh greeted as Colonel Mongke doesn't look as happy as Iroh is to see him. "If you're surprised we're here then the Dragon of the West has lost a few steps."

Mongke looks stern. He emphasizes his remarks by making sparks with his bracers. His men ready their weapons.

Though his uncle seems to know the man on the rhino, Zuko still stays in a defensive position as he leans down to grab Hana, hoist her to her feet and pull her in closer. Hana's ribs pulse in pain so badly that she doesn't even register his grip around her waist. "Iroh, you know these guys?" Hana groans.

Iroh nods his head. "Sure. Colonel Mongke and the Rough Riders are legendary. Each one is a different kind of weapons specialist. They are also a very capable singing group."

"We're not here to give a concert," Mongke chides in disapproval at Iroh's explanation of his group. "We're here to apprehend fugitives!"

Despite the hostile tone in Mongke's voice, Iroh's smile still stayed large and bright. "Would you like some tea first? I'd love some," he says without another thought. "How about you, Kachi? I make you as a jasmine man. Am I right?"

"Enough stalling!" Mongke yells. "Round 'em up!"

One of Mongke's fighter swings his ball and chain at Iroh. You'd think through his sunny disposition, Iroh wouldn't be ready for an attack but the firebender doesn't waste any time kicking the ball away. The ball, redirected, wraps its chain around the foot of another warrior's rhino. Everything happens within seconds. Zuko and Hana watch in awe as Iroh dodges the fire blasts by tumbling along the ground. He rises back up to swat the rump of the rhino that had been chained. The rhino runs off, yanking the warrior who had one end of the chain attached to his belt as well as its own rider. Iroh waves as he watches them go. An archer sitting high on a rhino shoots a lit arrow at Zuko's back. Hana sees the man shoot, pulls out of Zuko's grasp, and with all her strength kicks up high to break the arrow before it hits the Prince. Heat brushes across her face as Zuko lets a fire blast loose, which burns a hole in the archer's bow, a hand's width above the archer's hand. The blast passes through the bow and breaks the string.

Mongke keeps his sights on the former Fire Nation general as he lets loose fire blast after fire blast at him. It only makes him angrier when Iroh deflects each. Zuko leaves Hana behind to deal with another fighter as he runs up and jumps on the back of Mongke's rhino. Mongke tries to pry the Prince off of him but Zuko is too fast and already had a leg up on him. Within moments Mongke is kicked off the rhino. By the time Mongke is off his rhino, Hana has already unsaddled another one of his men, jumps up into the saddle, and rides to Zuko and his uncle. Zuko jumps from Mongke's rhino into the saddle and pulls Iroh up as Hana rides by.

The armored warrior, riding in pursuit, throws a grenade at the fleeing rhino. The grenade explodes ahead of the group, but Iroh holds onto his nephew and Zuko also clings tight to Hana as they ride through the explosion.

"It's nice to see old friends," Iroh says. The smile resonating through his voice.

Zuko huffs. "Too bad you don't have any old friends that don't want to attack you."

"Old friends that don't want to attack me," Iroh says under his voice, for only him to hear.

* * *

Night has already arrived by the time the trio reach the Ice Spring Oasis. Even though the sun is no longer beating on the sand, it's still hot; not that any of them mind.

Firebenders thrive in the heat, and Hana had forgotten how much she loves the feeling of sweat on her skin and waves of hot air kissing her exposed skin. She'd run around in the streets during the middle of the summer with her friends and wouldn't come home until the sun set. Sure, she'd be sweaty and sticky even though she was squeaky clean in the morning but nothing was better than taking a bath after her sisters went to bed and being held and towel-dried and sung to by her mother afterwards. Years in the Earth Kingdom have made her soft though, as she begins panting and leaning on her ride whenever she thinks Iroh and Zuko aren't looking.

The sky's clear, not a cloud for miles as the three dismount from the rhino. Hana slightly leans against Iroh, her hand resting on his forearm, as they make their way into a local bar. She's already running to the bar, asking anyone for water before they even make it into the door. A few earthbenders and other men turn their gazes toward Hana as if they had never seen a human woman before. Zuko follows their gazes towards her. She is leaning against the bar, waiting for a glass of water, and her linen pants and tunic are stuck to her curves with sweat from their travel here, outlining her body. A hot blush blooms on Zuko's face and he stomps over to the girl, turning away from her while using his body as a shield from leering eyes. He also gets to have a little fun as he glares at the people attached to those eyes.

Hana receives and downs her glass of water without even knowing what was going behind her, and is startled when she turns around to the sight of Zuko's back. He looks over his shoulder at her with a grunt. "Ready?" When Hana nods her head he turns back to Iroh after another moment of glaring. "Then come on."

The two find Iroh making his way to a table with an old man and a Pai Sho game board laid in front of him.

"You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?" Zuko asks aggressively, still donning his signature glare.

"I don't think this is a gamble," Iroh says. He walks up to the man, holding out an arm toward the board game. "May I have this game?"

"The guest has the first move," he replies. Iroh places the lotus tile in the middle of the board. "I see you favor the white lotus gambit. Not many still cling to the ancient ways."

"Those who do can always find a friend," Iroh answers casually with a knowing gleam in his eyes.

"Then let us play."

The old Pai Sho player places another tile on the board. Iroh quickly places another tile as well. Hana pulls up a chair behind Iroh and Zuko sits down next to her as they watch intently as the two men place tile after tile on the board in rapid succession. When they are done, the tiles form the shape of a lotus, with the lotus tile directly in the center of the large board.

"Welcome, brother. The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets." The man smiles with a slight bow of his head.

"What are you old gasbags talking about?" Zuko barks with a frown.

Hana elbows him in the side. "Don't be rude." He grunts, but doesn't look at her.

"I always tried to tell you that Pai Sho is more than just a game." Iroh has a knowing smile on his face, rolling a tile over his knuckles before clutching it in his fist.

The man and Iroh get up and pass right by the two teenagers. Hana pulls Zuko by the arm to follow the men. "Come on, let's follow them." The four walk across the small spring and enter one of the stone buildings. The Pai Sho man looks over his shoulder, making sure that no one is following them. He ushers them inside and Hana is shocked that it looks nothing more than an ordinary flower shop. Floral arrangements of various size, shape and color decorate the small room.

"It is an honor to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus. Being a Grandmaster, you must know so many secrets." The man looks to Iroh as he speaks.

"Now that you played Pai Sho," Zuko looks back and forth between the two men. "Are you going to do some flower arranging, or is this club going to offer some real help?"

"You must forgive my nephew." Iroh shakes his head a fraction as he looks at the hot-headed prince. "He is not an initiate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts."

"And the girl," the man asks, pointing directly at Hana who had busied herself with the flowers. Iroh chuckles as he places a hand on her shoulder.

"Great potential, but lots to learn and a long life to learn it."

The man turns and knocks on a door in the back and the small window in the middle slides open and a man peeks through. "Who knocks at the guarded gate?"

"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries," Iroh says to the doorman. The door swings open so that Iroh and the man can enter the room behind it. Zuko begins to follow them, but the door is shut in his face and locked before he could even think about prying it open. "I'm afraid it's members only. Wait out here." Then the window slides the window shut. Zuko grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest before leaning over to a nearby plant and sniffing it.

Hana smirks at him before she goes back to distracting herself with the cacophony of flowers. There are so many colors and the fragrances that coat the room. Hana slowly circles the room, smelling each flower as she passes them one by one. She passes by a peculiar flower with black petals with red veins coursing through them. She leans down and sniffs it just like she had done with all the others, but when she does a shockingly familiar smell hits her fully. It even pulls a gasp from her throat and brings tears to her eyes.

Zuko is by her side before she could even notice him move. "That's a Fire Lily."

She looks up at him, wiping away her stray tears. "I've never smelt a flower like that before," she says, as if to give an excuse for her outburst of emotions and he smirks. "Actually I have. It... almost smells like something back home. In the Fire Nation. It's been so long that I've forgotten about it. But I guess I've remembered it enough to do.... well, this."

Hana brings her hand to her face and when she pulls away, droplets of her tears rest atop her fingertips. She turns away from Zuko, hiding away her crying face, but he finds his body moving before he can even think and he reaches out for her. To bring her back to him. To cradle her against his chest as she cried over their home nation.

The sound of a door opening startles him, pulling away from Hana and turning back around to see his uncle and the man leaving the room he was not allowed to enter.

"What's going on? Is the club meeting over?" Zuko says, seemingly more jumpy than he needs to be. Even Hana giggles as she watches the Prince get into a half fighting stance against his own uncle.

"Everything is taken care of. We're heading to Ba Sing Se," Iroh says as he moves back over to the teenagers, wrapping an arm around both of them.

"No one has even told me why we're going back to the Earth Kingdom?" Zuko asks. "Didn't we just flee from there?"

"Wouldn't it be the safest place to hide in plain sight," Hana says. "And it's the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation. Iroh, even you couldn't break through to the city." Iroh has a sly smile on his face as Hana speaks, just like she hit the nail on the head.

The small bell above the front door rings as it opens and a man steps inside the faux flower shop. "I have the passports for our guests, but there are two men out on the streets looking for them." He passes Iroh the passports.

The men speak to each other about how to go about to, but Hana walks towards the door. All of the muscles in Hana's body tense up as she looks out of a crack to see two men holding up a picture of Zuko and Iroh. A fire sparks on her fingers and licks the wood walls, turning those spots to ash. She pulls herself away when she notices and brings her shaking hand to her chest. Someone grips her shoulder and when she turns around, way too wound up than she thinks she needs to be, to be face to face with the prince. And in his hands is the Fire Lily.

He brings the plant up to her face. "Relax," he whispers in his most calming voice. Hana takes in a deep breath, the scent of her mother country immediately bringing her back down.

As the men roll out two big flower pots on a cart, Hana can't help but wonder where the third pot was for her to sit in. "You can hide in these and one of our members will pull you to safety," the Pai Sho man explains.

Iroh turns to the two teenagers with a coy smile on his face. "You two will have to share one." Hana swears she sees a sparkle in the old man's eyes as he gets into the first pot. The man who handed Iroh the passports covers the top with some flowers before waiting for the two teenagers. Suddenly, it became several degrees hotter and it wasn't because of the desert.

"Well this is fun," she mumbles as the realization of sharing such a tiny, enclosed space with the Fire Prince finally settles in her mind.

Zuko's cheeks are dusted red and he lets out a disgruntled sigh as he steps into the pot, settling into the bottom of the pot. This is going to be a long, cramped, and aggravating ride. Hana swallows a lump that has formed in her throat and breaths shakily before climbing inside after him. She attempts to be as graceful as possible, but the odds aren't in her favor as she basically falls into his lap. She almost goes into immediate panic, but before she can put herself into a less compromising position, the man places the flowers on top and seals off the only light source.

"Sorry," she mumbles and begins to move myself over and out of his lap. Zuko spreads his legs, bending his knees up and his hips forward. Right into Hana's backside. Hana has to press her hand against her mouth, thinking her breathing is way too loud.

"Is... is this okay?" He asks quietly, adjusting just enough for his chest to be pressed up against her back.

"It's fine. But I swear, if you try anything funny, I will light this whole thing on fire without a second thought." She means every word.

The heat from the outside becomes unbearable in the cramped space that Hana is forced to share with Zuko. She leans forward, trying to have as little contact with him as possible. As soon as the cart starts moving though, the two are jolted, making Hana bounce in Zuko's lap every few seconds. She lays her head on her knees so that she can get as much square inches of her body off the Prince as possible.

After about fifteen minutes, her embarrassment is replaced with uncomfortableness. Her legs ache incredibly and her back and neck burn with the strain she's putting in to not touch the prince. The only comfort she receives is from the hum and vibrations of the moving cart. It brings back a warm memory of when her sisters were babies and her mom would wheel them around their neighborhood to get them to fall asleep. She used to complain wildly about having to stay up so late helping her mother rock the twins to sleep.

She sees the appeal of it now.

Zuko's low voice is right by her ear, making her whole body shiver. "You can lean back if you want. I doubt you're comfortable."

He's right, she's not comfortable. And surprisingly that's all she needs to lean back and rest her head against his shoulder, closing my eyes again and nuzzling her face into his neck. She breathes in Zuko's scent, sandalwood and ash and sweat, and she can't stop herself from thinking that this smell is much better than that flower in the shop before dozing off to the rhythmic vibrations of the moving cart.

* * *

Zuko is woken up to the sound of his uncle's muffled laughter. He opens her eyes and sees him above them, looking into the flower pot with a devious grin. "Well, you two look awfully comfortable."

He immediately glances down to see that Hana has turned sideways with her head resting on his chest and her hand clenching his shirt. She even has a little stream of drool running down her face and onto his shirt, but no matter how hard he tries he can't find it in himself to be mad. He is also surprised to see that he has his arms wrapped tightly around her, holding her against him. His cheeks begin to burn and he swiftly loosens his arms before gently shaking her awake.

"Hana, we're here."

She opens her eyes and looks up at Zuko and Iroh, blinking a few times before her eyes focus on the Prince. That's when she reacts. Her large, golden eyes lock onto his and her cheeks become a beautiful shade of pink as she quickly pushes herself up, knocking her head against the top of the pot in the process.

Zuko reaches up as a reaction to seeing her in pain but she holds up her hand.

"I'm okay." She stands up and pulls herself out of the pot as fast as she can, her legs tingling from being bent for so long. The prince climbs out after her, stretching and popping the many sore joints in his body. Hana finally gets a good look at their surroundings. They have made it out of the desert and are surrounded by rock formations and a few trees.

Iroh begins leading the group down the wide path. Now that they had to leave the rhino behind, Hana knows the last few miles towards the boats were going to be much longer than she'd like it. And she can't stop thinking about how soft and warm Zuko's body was wrapped around hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're finally getting to Ba Sing Sae. Sorry if this is feeling a little slow, but I promise the action will kick up very soon. I appreciate each and every one of you who are continuing to read this, you mean the world to me!
> 
> Until next week!


	7. The Serpent's Pass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Make sure you bring back the tastiest food I've ever eaten or this will all be a worthless endeavor," she says.
> 
> Seeing her smile, a shadow of a smile appears over his own face along with the memory of a laugh. "What happened to your moral high ground?"
> 
> Hana feigns a gasp, lightly punching him in the side. "I'm starving, dirty and exhausted so my morals are wavering right about now," she says.

> "What do dragons eat, anyways?"  
> "Whatever they want."
> 
> \- Daenerys Targaryen to Sansa Stark

The salty winds scrap across Hana's face as she stands at the rail of the ship heading towards Ba Sing Sae, Iroh and Zuko on either side of her. She takes in a deep breath, the crisp sea air coating the inside of her lungs in salt. She's not even sure if she's blinked at all since she set her eyes on the vast ocean before her. It's nothing she's ever experienced before. She's seen vast mountain ranges dotted with volcanoes and lush forests that hide the boggiest swamps, but the ocean - this ocean - sprawled before her is something else entirely. Truthfully, after everything Hana's been through these past weeks she'd gladly stay by the ocean as long as possible.

Through the harsh winds, Hana hears Iroh's solemn voice as he speaks to no one in particular. "Who would have thought, after all these years, I'd return to the scene of my greatest military disgrace... as a tourist."

Hana places a gentle hand on his and in the corner of her eye she spots a small smile flicker across his face. She was only a small child when the failed invasion of Ba Sing Sa happened but she remembers how the people of her town reacted to it. To put it lightly, they were pissed. She remembers when she'd sit in the main store room with her parents, how she'd hear almost every customer describe what they would have done differently and Hana felt how confident they were in their plans, they thought deep in their hearts they'd have succeeded. She was too young to even know about the war that was happening around her but what she did know was that everyone around her said that they would love to see Iroh off the throne.

And unfortunately for everyone, that's exactly what happened.

Zuko groans. "Look around, we're not tourists. We're refugees." He sips from a wooden bowl full of an unidentifiable, and probably inedible, liquid. That thought is confirmed when he spits over the railing, tossing the entire bowl into the ocean with it. She kicks her ignored bowl further away from her.

"I'm sick of eating rotten food, sleeping in the dirt. I'm tired of living like this." Zuko leans on the rail despondently with an aggravated look on his face.

Hana lifts one of her hands to the prince's face, smoothing the lines between his eyebrows. "Don't be such a grump. It will give you wrinkles," she says. His eyes widen and he backs away from her touch, but he doesn't pull his eyebrows back together.

"Did I hear you also discussing the horrid meals we're being served?" A boy around Hana and Zuko's age makes his way up to them. He holds out his hand to Zuko. "My name's Jet. And these are my freedom fighters, Smellerbee, and Longshot." He steps out toward the rail, his companions behind him.  
Smellerbee waves with a greeting while Longshot nods his own hello.

Zuko shakes his hand, looking Jet over once before turning back to the water. Jet turns to Hana next but she doesn't say anything to the boy, turning her nose up at him. The fewer people who have contact with the three of them, the less chance of her and two pieces of the royal family being caught. She's not so sure about Zuko, but she’s not going to get involved with just any strangers that waltz up to them.

Jet steps closer to the teens. "Here's the deal. I hear the Captain's eating like a king, while us refugees have to feed off his scraps. Doesn't seem fair, does it?"

This information seems to pique Iroh's interests as he leans in towards the group. "What sort of 'king' is he eating like?"

Jet replies in a dull voice. "The fat, happy kind." Iroh's mouth drops and Hana swears that she sees him start to drool. Jet smiles a smile that makes her uncomfortable. Mostly because the man behind it wants nothing more than to get them in trouble. Trouble she can't afford. "You want to help us 'liberate' some food?"

The memory of that putrid taste of the liquid returns to Zuko as he looks down at Hana's untouched bowl. He swears he sees it bubble and his stomach seizes. "I'm in."

Jet shakes Zuko's hand again before turning his eyes to Hana. "What about you, darling?" He winks. If she didn't want to be around him before, she definitely doesn't want to be anywhere near him now.

"No thank you, I'm okay," Hana tries to say in the kindest tone she can muster. "Have fun though."

"Shame, you're going to be missing a fun heist." He throws another wink her way before turning back to Zuko. "We are going to walk the perimeter and watch the guards to get a better understanding of their rounds. We'll meet up here right after the sun sets," Jet explains.

Zuko nods and turns back to train his eye on the water. Looking back at Hana, Jet can't help but notice that she can't take her eyes off of her companion. The setting sun makes his hair shine and gives his skin some nice color. Despite the cool sea wind, a warm feeling washes over Hana. She walks over to the Prince, leaning across the rail and bumping her shoulder against his. "Make sure you bring back the tastiest food I've ever eaten or this will all be a worthless endeavor," she says.

Seeing her smile, a shadow of a smile appears over his own face along with the memory of a laugh. "What happened to your moral high ground?"

Hana feigns a gasp, lightly punching him in the side. "I'm starving, dirty and exhausted so my morals are wavering right about now," she says.

"I thought you were fine with the food we were given." There is a smug look in Zuko's eyes that makes Hana's heart feel lighter than ever in the past weeks.

She rolls her eyes. "I don't remember saying that," she says. "But I would have eventually eaten it if that's all we had. I remember a time where I went nights without even a crappy meal so I don't complain when I have food in front of me. Even if that food is... moving on its own." Hana turns back to Zuko, a laugh ready on her tongue but when she looks into his eyes all she sees is horror and pity. "Hey, whoa, I don't need your pity so no need to have that look on your face. Sure there was a time in my life where that was my reality, but I'm here now so when good food is offered, who am I to let the chance go by."

"Why didn't you offer to help, then?"

Hana's entire body stills and she focuses her gaze back into the water. "I can't get in trouble. It might only be taking a little food, but if I get in any sort of trouble there's a higher chance someone's going to find out exactly who I am and then go after my family." She shrugs. "I'd rather starve for a while than put my entire family in jeopardy."

Suddenly Zuko feels dumb and childish for taking up Jet on his offer to steal food from the ship's captain. They'd only be on board for another day, he could have mustered up the strength but he reverted back into his spoiled demeanor. "I- I didn't think of it that way. I'm sorry."

The air leaves Hana's lungs. Zuko, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, apologized to her. She can't help but laugh under her breath. "It's okay. I never expected you to. I didn't really think of you as a family man. Especially when everything you need is right here, right?" A strong gust of wind rushes across the ship, making goosebumps form over Hana's skin. She shivers and huddles into herself. Zuko leans in closer to Hana. She lifts her head up, the Prince can hear her chattering teeth and see her nose and cheeks turn pink from the sudden wind chill. Against his better judgment, he finds himself unbuttoning his jacket and throwing it around Hana's shoulders before pulling her under his arm.

Neither of them says anything to the other but mostly because they can't find anything to say. Hana's hands are shaking and she hopelessly tries to convince herself that it's because of the cold and not Zuko's heartbeat pounding in her ear.

"I want to be a family man." Zuko's voice is so small that Hana can't even be sure he said anything until he starts speaking again. "When I grew up, my mom was always around and I loved her so much. We'd have so much fun, especially when we'd watch the turtle ducks and she'd tell me all sorts of stories." Hana can't take his eyes off of the Prince above her. His nose is red and there's a glossy shine in his eyes. "She disappeared when I was just a kid, and then it was just me, my dad, and my sister. And you've seen first hand what they're like. But they're my only family left, so what can I do?"

Zuko feels Hana laughing against his chest and he looks down at her, not believing that she is laughing at this moment. She waves him off. "I'm sorry, but... they're not your only family. I would say the member of your family who loves you the most and truly wants the best for you is on this boat right now." Hana turns her gaze from the Prince to his uncle, and when he follows her eyes his arm tightens around him. "The former General would be a really great grandfather, don't you think?"

Now it's Zuko's turn to laugh. "Yeah, he would be."

Hana turns back to the Prince, another question resting at the tip of her tongue but before she has the chance, she sees Jet in the corner of her vision. She pulls herself away from Zuko. "It seems that our conversation is going to be cut short." She tries to give his jacket back to him but he refuses, throwing it over her shoulders again before buttoning it up. "Don't get caught. I'd really like to eat tonight," she says.

Zuko leaves with Jet and his freedom fighters without another glance at the girl.

* * *

In the time that Zuko has left, the sun sinks out of view and the air gets drastically colder. Hana silently thanks Zuko for leaving his jacket behind. She settles in next to Iroh, sliding in and out of consciousness as they wait. When Zuko finally returns with the 'liberated' food, Hana is basically passed out against Iroh. Zuko gently shakes her awake before handing her a bowl of noodles, then sets plates of bread and dried duck in the center of the group. Longshot and Smellerbee have joined the trio for dinner.

"So, Smellerbee, that's an unusual name for a young man," Iroh tries to start up a conversation.  
Smellerbee almost immediately shoots up from her sitting position. "Maybe it's because I'm not a man. I'm a girl!" She runs off to the other side of the ship, Longshot following behind her.

Iroh calls after her. "Oh, now I see! It's a beautiful name for a lovely girl!"

Hana can only manage one word between bites. "Smooth."

Just as Hana picks up some of the duck, Jet joins the group and takes a seat - a little too close for Zuko's liking - next to Hana. The girl is too tired to notice but Jet's eyes haven't left her since they met. Zuko even noticed how he pierced daggers into the Prince's back when he saw the two teens huddled together, Zuko's jacket laid upon Hana's shoulders. The Fire Prince's face is hot as he follows Jet's gaze to Hana, who has a small piece of noodle stuck to her cheek. Surprisingly the sight breaks his anger. He chuckles before leaning over to remove it. All she does is hum her thanks before shoving her face full of food again.  
Jet either doesn't seem to notice or care as he looks at the teens eagerly. "From what I heard, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se. I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall."

"It is still a magnificent sight," Iroh replies to him.

"So you've been there before?" He asks Iroh, one of his eyebrows raised.

"Once, when I was a different man." Iroh looks away, his mind full of memories Hana couldn't even begin to comprehend before he closes his eyes for a moment.

Jet moves his eyes back to the water. "I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of. But that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se, for a new beginning. A second chance."

"That's very noble of you. I believe people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances," Iroh says as he meets Zuko's eyes. The two of them share a look that only they can decipher.

Jet looks at the two with curiosity. "So, where are you guys from."

Hana, who finally doesn't have food in her mouth, chimes into the conversation even though she is still half-asleep. "Earth Nation village. It was attacked by the Fire Nation and we had to flee." Zuko is shocked by the way the lie just falls out of her mouth, but then again it's only a half lie.

Jet seems to buy her answer. "Those damned firebenders. I'm so sorry. What about your family? Have you any left after the attack?"

"Yes, but I've been separated from them for now." Hana opens her mouth for a big yawn and then leans against Zuko, subconsciously seeking the heat from his body. "These two have sort of taken me into their family for the time being."

Zuko has never felt so relaxed as he does right now with Hana snuggling into his side. She still has a slice of bread in her hand but when Zuko tries to take it from her, her grip on the food gets tighter. "I'll rip the hand off of the next person who tries to take my food from me," she grumbles.

"You're all bark and no bite." Zuko flicks her on the nose which causes her to look at him with death in her eyes.

"I'll show you no bite when there aren't any witnesses around. When you least expect it, I'll be there to strike." Zuko's entire face explodes in a dangerously red blush. He subconsciously turns his body from her and Hana, deep in the troughs of her sleep, can't figure out why. All she knows is that she hates the cold that replaces his body warmth as she reaches out to tangle her arms around his torso and pull him closer. It only takes her another moment to hear the innuendo in her previous sentence and she's jumping off of Zuko. Hana's stumbling over her words and finally just shuts up and stands up to walk back towards the railing, hoping the cold wind will cool off her too warm body.

She breathes out a deep, shaky breath and looks towards the sky. Sadly, she can barely see the stars tonight as the sky is mostly covered in a blanket of clouds.

"What made you go running over here?" Hana heart starts again, thinking the Prince ran over to check on her, but that deflates when she turns to see Jet making his way over to where she stands by the railing.

"Just stretching my legs." She turns back to watch the water.

He stands a little too close to her, and it's as if Zuko has made her skin hyper-aware of everything because she can feel Jet even if he is feet away from her. "You know, you're really beautiful," he says, a growl under his voice.

Hana curses Zuko for making her blush so violently because she can only imagine what Jet is thinking at this exact moment. At this point, she can only hope that he doesn't think the spreading wildflowers on her face is for him. Breathlessly, and a bit annoyed, she thanks him.

"So, you and your companion a thing?"

Out of everything he could have asked her, this by far had to be the funniest thing. She can't stop the laugh that bubbles out of her mouth. "What? Us? No way. I told you, I'm just traveling with him for the time. There's no way that we'll see each other ever again after I've made it to where I'm going."

Jet doesn't pay attention to a word she says after she denies the rumor he put before her and starts to lean in closer, way too close for her liking, as she is still speaking. "Then would it be okay if I did this?"

As he continues to get closer, Hana places her hands between their bodies. "No. It absolutely wouldn't be okay."

Jet grabs her hands to remove the barrier between them but he is stopped suddenly when he gets a closer look at the scarred skin that mars her hands.

"Your hands," he breathes. She tries to pull them away but he is stronger than her and she can't use her bending to burn the skin off of his palms for touching her without her permission. "What happened to them? What lousy firebender did this to you? Tell me?"

All the air is pulled from her lungs as she continues to make a futile effort to pull away from him, her strength leaving her body the longer he goes on about her hands. The grip on her hands tighten and he begins to shake her, _demanding_ her to tell him who had inflicted pain so harshly that it had left permanent scars on her skin. Hana can barely breathe let alone talk. Especially when the answer to the question Jet wanted was that she was the one who put those scars on her skin.

She was the lousy firebender.

Hana can feel her internal body temperature rising with each second she can't get out of his grasp. She's gasping for air, but nothing in cooling her down, even the spray of sea water feels like it's sizzling off her skin.

A disembodied gasp breaks Jet's constant nagging and Hana turns to see Zuko, who has a look of genuine shock and confusion. Somehow the fact that she has been caught by Zuko is worse than the actual problem. Hana begins to feel her eyes and cheeks burning hotter than ever. The heat makes its way to her hands and he pulls back, his own hands red as if he had just put them on a hot burner. She storms away, not daring to look at Zuko. In fact, she only looks up when she reaches Iroh.

"Are you okay, Hana?" The concern is written all over his face.

She brushes him away before lying on the ground by his feet. "I'm fine. I just want to go to sleep. Goodnight." In the morning, she gives thanks that she was able to fall asleep before Zuko made it back to them.

* * *

Zuko wakes up just as the sun begins to rise. He wasn't able to get much sleep the night before. He turns onto his side and comes face-to-face with a sleeping Hana. She fell asleep before he could talk to her last night, but he did feel a little more reassured when he saw that she curled up in his jacket, her face nuzzled into the fabric. He gazes at her for longer than he should have before walking to the front of the boat. He leans against the railing, looking towards the nearing shoreline through the morning mist.

It doesn't take long before he hears someone approaching.

"You know, as soon as I saw your scar, I knew exactly who you were." Zuko feels his body immediately go into defense mode, all of his muscles tensing up and a prickle of heat tickling his skin from his fire wanting to be released into the world. "You're an outcast, like me. And us outcasts have to stick together. We have to watch each other's backs. Because no one else will."

"I've realized lately, that being on your own isn't always the best path."

From over Jet's shoulder, he sees Hana start to wake up, stray strands of hair sticking out of her braid while she's rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. It was at this moment that he realized he'd do whatever it takes to never be alone ever again.


	8. The Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Did you ever stop to think that the family I left behind is vulnerable to being found if I got caught? My parents, my sisters. They're all sitting turtle ducks if this whole thing goes south so I would advise you to think about every action you make and how that action would affect all of us." She snaps during her last few statements, more furiously than Zuko ever thought she could.
> 
> "I didn't think I'd have to treat you like my kid sisters but I guess I have to put my foot down. Absolutely no more bending. I don't care if we lose our spark rocks, or if we get into a fight. We are going to be non-benders as of now. Understand?" She whispers harshly to the two royals and Iroh nods with a surprised expression.

> "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup."
> 
> ― Sherrilyn Kenyon, _Dragonswan_

  
  


Hana turns her golden eyes around the large room, moving from displaced group after displaced group. Mothers with their children, men with their lovers and some young people that are not particularly with one group or another but have found comfort in each other. Hana tries to imagine what their stories might be, what led them to have to be here. A young boy, who isn't paying attention to his surroundings and running through the crowds from his friend, bumps into Hana's leg. He stumbles and trips over his feet, going down to the ground until Hana swoops in and grabs the boy before he could hit the floor. His friend comes over to help and they both say their thanks and apologies before running back to a couple of women. One carries a baby in her arms and lets the boy snuggle into her side. Hana stands there and just watches them, so lost in her own thoughts that she doesn't hear what Zuko and Iroh are saying until the prince is already irritated.

"I'm going to forget that I saw that."

Hana turns her attention back to the two men. She's not sure what happened to make Zuko have such a disgusted look on his face but she has an inkling that it has to do with something with his uncle and the older woman behind the counter, who is still giving him _eyes_ as the group walks away. When he passes by her, she shoulder checks him which makes him fumble a little bit. "Don't be rude."

The prince shoots her a glare but can't find it in him to keep it for long when he takes in her laughing face. Even in a place like this, she shines to him. A little bright spot in the murkiness to lead them all out. He shakes the thought from his head and stomps back to the spot they've carved out for themselves.

From across the room, a group of Freedom Fighters watch as the girl bounces back to the prince - currently going as Lee - with enough energy for every person in the room. "I think those two would make great Freedom Fighters. Lee's just finding his way in the world, just like us."

"I understand Lee, he was helpful on the ship, but the girl?" Smellerbee asks. "What do you even see in her?"

Jet shrugs. "Not sure. What I do know is that I'd like to keep looking into those big yellow eyes."

Smellerbee shakes her head, not truly convinced with her friend's response. "We don't know anything about them, Jet," Smellerbee argues back.

"I know they didn't get those scars from a water-bender," Jet retorts before getting up from the ground. "I'll be back. Don't wait up."

As Hana, Zuko and Iroh are settling back into their spot on the ground a tea cart merchant passes. "Get your hot tea here! Finest tea in Ba Sing Se!" Iroh, not shockingly, gladly spends the little money he has on a cup of tea. Hana rests her head on her knees and smiles, feeling a blanket of comfort surround her in Iroh's familiar quirks and euphemisms.

The peddler pours tea into Iroh's cup before strolling off for more customers. Iroh delightedly takes a sip and his eyes widen in shock as he spits it out in disgust. "Coldest tea in Ba Sing Se is more like it." He shakes his head disapprovingly. "What a disgrace!"

Hana feels a bit bad for the old man as she chuckles and pats his shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll have some hot tea soon enough."

Despite Iroh's disappointment, there is a bliss that Zuko can't ignore. For the first time in a long time he doesn't feel the need to restore his honor or risk his entire life to go after the Avatar. That is until Jet makes his way to the group and Zuko's body moves without even meaning to, scooting closer to Hana. "Can I talk to you two for a second?" Jet gestures for them to follow him. Hana and Zuko both reluctantly get up and walk behind Jet for a few yards.

"You two and I have a much better chance of making it in the city if we stick together. You guys want to join the Freedom Fighters?" He asks, looking at Hana first but has his eyes forced back to the Prince when he stands in front of her.

Hana has already begun to put up her hands in order to decline Jet's request before Zuko even could say anything. She steps back from the boys, sliding her hands into the pockets of Zuko's jacket that she still hasn't given back. Anybody could look over and see the way that Jet makes her uncomfortable. "Thanks, but I don't think you want me in your group. I don't work well with groups," she turns to leave but Jet grabs Hana by the sleeve.

She slaps his hand away but that doesn't stop Jet in the slightest. "We're alright," Zuko says, trying to keep his own anger at bay. "Thanks for the offer but we're going to be fine on our own."

"Come on, we made a great team looting that Captain's food. Think of all the good we could do for these refugees," Jet says, trying to convince them again.

The Prince's anger bubbles up and he begins to raise a hand to grab Jet but Hana steps in between the two men, reminding both of them that she was still there and her voice mattered just as much as theirs. "We said no." She pulls Jet's hand off of Zuko. "Goodbye."

Hana grabs Zuko's hand and pulls him away, almost running from Jet, when she suddenly stops in her tracks. Zuko leans over her shoulder to ask her what was wrong when he follows her gaze and knows the answer immediately. She's starting at Iroh's tea, which now has steam rising from the top. Zuko turns back to look at Jet who was already back with his group, his back towards the two. He couldn't have seen them. Right? If he did, he'd put them all in danger. And Hana, who is shaking violently, is only thinking about the family she left behind. It's hard to pull his hand from Hana's, partly because Zuko doesn't want to let go of her hand and partly because she's squeezing his hand so hard he thinks she might break it. But he eventually wriggles his hand out of hers and storms up to his uncle, knocking the tea out of his hand.

"Hey!" Iroh cries out in surprised horror.

Zuko whispers furiously through gritted teeth. "What are you doing fire-bending your tea?! For a wise old man, that was a pretty stupid move."

Iroh isn't even paying attention to his nephew, looking down at the puddle of hot tea. "I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled tea, but-" Iroh sniffles, staring at the cup that is overturned in a puddle.

Hana is still in a daze as she gets closer to the two men. She kneels down in front of Iroh, and at first he believes that she'll help him to diffuse his nephew's anger towards him. That is until he sees the blazing fire that is buried deep inside her heart behind her eyes. "I told you to be careful here. Here, we're not fire-benders. Here, we're not even benders. Here, we are nobodies because if anyone, and I mean anyone, were to know about who we really are then it's over. And not only for us, but everyone. I mean the Fire Nation, the Avatar, the world, _my own family_." She says each word in a calculated, cold, and absolutely terrifying low tone that no one had ever heard from her before. "Did you ever stop to think that the family I left behind is vulnerable to being found if I got caught? My parents, my sisters. They're all sitting turtle ducks if this whole thing goes south so I would advise you to think about every action you make and how that action would affect all of us." She snaps during her last few statements, more furiously than Zuko ever thought she could. He stands there, frozen and noticing how red her fingers are as she pinches the bridge of her nose.

"I didn't think I'd have to treat you like my kid sisters but I guess I have to put my foot down. Absolutely no more bending. I don't care if we lose our spark rocks, or if we get into a fight. We are going to be non-benders as of now. Understand?" She whispers harshly to the two royals and Iroh nods with a surprised expression.

The silence that settles around them is palpable. Zuko can't find any words to say, and even Iroh is silent in his regrets for the moments. He lets out a long breath before turning to face Hana's back. "Hana, I want to apologize. You're right, I wasn't thinking and didn't think how it would affect your family. I haven't had to think of putting my family in danger in a long time," Iroh's tone is rueful.

"Uncle." Zuko places his hand on Iroh's shoulder but he just shakes his head.

"It's okay Zuko. I'm okay." He pats his nephew's shoulder. "I lost my son a long time ago. It's part of the reason I was never given the throne because I lost my only heir. Since then I haven't really thought of much. It's not a secret that I don't care for my brother or niece much but my nephew-" Iroh takes his eyes off of Hana as his sentence peters out and settles them on Zuko. "I am sorry Hana and I'll be more careful from now on."

Both men wait with baited breath for Hana's response. They tense up when they see her shoulders shake until she turns around and they see her eyes shine with unshed tears. "Iroh, I'm sorry. I didn't- I forgive you." She leans over and pulls him into a bone-crushing hug before sitting back. "Now you two, best behavior. At all times. You never know who's watching."

Little did they know, the man who wanted them to join him would now be the one who is only looking out for them.

* * *

They couldn't get out of their apartments fast enough. Hana knew before they even got off the ship that since the three of them were registered as refugees from the Earth Nation they wouldn't get the best digs, but she hadn't expected it to be quite this bad. Zuko and Iroh got stuck sharing one bedroom and a single, small kitchen with a designated space on the floor in between for a living room. At least they had that little space to relax. Hana found out in the hard way when she walked into a room that basically had just enough space to walk to the small futon in the corner. Oh, but she couldn't forget about the table placed beside her bed that she assumed was for everything that couldn't be done on a floor. She didn't think she could be grateful for a table before but here she was, basically in tears over a table. That and the two large windows that lead to a balcony so small she could barely sit on it.

The sun is setting while they stroll down the street to buy basic living necessities with the money Iroh had received.

Iroh and Hana admired the beautifully tailored threads, accessories and delicacies in the window of a local shop, whining about how they couldn't afford them and a meal for tonight. Hana is still sulking when another shop catches her eye. It's small but smells like fruit and honey, and in the window there is a gorgeous dress just as good as the ones in the previous shop but doesn't have an inflated price tag attached to it.

Iroh notices the way that Hana's eyes sparkle as she scans the store. "I'm going in search of some tea leaves." He hands the girl and his nephew some money. "You two go buy something that doesn't make you stand out as much." He waves a hand down Hana's body and she looks down at herself. Head-to-toe in black cloth and dust. In these, she looks more like a mercenary than a refugee. With that, Iroh turns and walks off. Hana turns around, grabbing Zuko's wrist and tugging him towards the shop that caught her eye. 

Once inside, she lets him go and walks straight for a long gem green dress. Zuko sees how her eyes scan the silky fabric and the way her hands reach out to it but never actually makes contact. 

He nudges her shoulder with his. "Are you going to get it?" He asks, chuckling at the way she flinches and quickly pulls her hand back like she's just been caught doing something wrong. 

"Oh, no. It's too much." That awe and hope in her eyes vanishes, leaving behind only disappointment as she walks away from it and towards a rack of more 'suitable' clothing. Zuko quietly asks an attendant to take the dress off of the stand and throws it over her shoulder. She stumbles for words, but Zuko doesn't let her back down. "Take it. You should get something nice," he says.

A bright blush runs up Hana's neck, leaving Zuko even more entertained than before. "I was going to, but I was thinking about something more like pants and a shirt."

"Haven't you ever bought yourself anything nice before?" Zuko asks. "Something you really like."

Hana's eyes don't leave the dress, her fingers now running over the soft silk. She shrugs. "Not really. Most of the money we earned at the store went to eating that night or towards my sisters. Not that I minded, I had my fair share of stuff too."

Zuko gets really close to Hana's ear, his breath trailing down her skin. "I think you should get that now. Of course, we can get you something else too. Something more practical for every day."

"With what money?" Hana asks, rolling her eyes and backing away from the Prince. She brings her hand up to the back of her neck, trying to rub away the goosebumps that were left by Zuko's whispers.

Zuko pulls out his small stack of bills he received from his uncle. "With mine."

She looks at him, star-struck for only a moment before shaking her head. "No. No way. That's supposed to be for you. What are you going to wear then?"

He smiles. "I'll find a way. I always do."

She opens her mouth, trying to protest again but he doesn't let her. Zuko practically shoves her into the smaller room to try on the dress. He's not quite sure why he's being so adamant about this but one thing is for sure; he wants to see her look at him with that expression once more. With a reluctant groan, Hana leans back against the door and looks at the clothing item again. It's beautiful. Probably the most beautiful thing she's ever worn and will ever wear.

She slides it on and instantly falls in love. The dark green fabric is soft, almost silky against her skin, and the color makes her eyes much brighter than she's ever seen them. The halter collar stops right above her collarbone and the two belts, one right under her chest and another a few inches lower around her waist, almost seem to give her a feminine shape that even she didn't know she could have. The front and back fall around her shins and calves, while the sides are cut to below her hips.

It's not much skin, though it's probably the most amount of skin she's ever shown but surprisingly, it doesn't make her as embarrassed as she thought she would be. Her boots do take up some room but most of her leg and upper body is showing. She quietly thanks Zuko, because if he wasn't persistent about buying the gown then she would, because she doesn't think she can take it off ever again.

Just as she is finishing re-buckling her boots, Zuko knocks on her door. "Are you done in there yet?" 

"Oh, have some patience. I'm almost done!" When she steps out of the dressing room, Zuko looks up. He stills, a deep blush paints his face and suddenly that's the moment that Hana decides to be self-conscious about the amount of skin showing. He's wearing dark brown pants and a grass green tunic. She guesses getting this dress means that he has to suffer with the basics. Although he doesn't look bad in them.

He has more clothes in his arms and he basically shoves in her arms. It's just a simple pair of dark green pants, so dark they're almost black, and a forest green top whose long sleeves fall between her fingers. It's simple but Hana thinks they would be comfortable and easy to move around in. 

They run into Iroh as soon as they leave the store. "I found my tea leaves. Did you get everything you wanted?"

"New clothes and something warm to eat, what else could I ask for?" Hana smiles at Iroh, who has a smile of his own when he notices his nephew's wandering eye and burning blush.

"Good," he says. "Because tomorrow we'll be looking for work."


	9. The Scales

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana takes a sharp breath and the prince goes to look at her, until he remembers the condition she's in. Then he realizes exactly how she got into that condition and that seeing her bare back should embarrass him, not her. He should look. See what their recklessness had caused her.
> 
> He strokes her sweaty hair as he pulls his eyes back to her skin. The woman has already begun patching her up, the wound slowly stitching itself back together but that isn't what catches Zuko's eyes. Underneath the gash is a pattern etched in red on her skin.

> "People who do not believe in the existence of dragons are often eaten by dragons."
> 
> ― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Wave in the Mind

  
  


Hana is already half asleep when Iroh returns with a vase of orange flowers. They smell lovely but she is confused as to why Iroh has returned to the store with them instead of an extra portion of food. She sits up, her bones creak and groan at her to stop moving so much as she does so. She thought that after working years at the merchant shop, some stretch of days only be herself she'd be used to the constant work. In fact, she thought she'd relish in making a living wage again. But she found out the hard way that working in a shop that almost brought in no customers what-do-ever and working in a constantly busy tea shop were two very different beasts. After only the first day she basically dragged herself, with the help of Zuko and Iroh supporting her, back to her apartment and barely made it into her bed before collapsing into dead sleep. Today wasn't any different.

Zuko seems just as fatigued as he sits up, a confused and displeased expression crosses his face as his uncle sets the floral arrangement down on their kitchen table. "And what did you bring these in for?" The prince asks.

"I just want our place to look nice, in case someone brings home a lady friend." Iroh winks at his nephew.

Hana's sleepiness disappears in seconds by Iroh's words. She bursts into laughter. "Him? With a girlfriend? Don't make me laugh." Zuko glares at the girl who is clutching her stomach. She's laughing so hard. "I pity the girl who has to be stuck with his sulking ass for the rest of her life. Actually, I think I'd thank her because she'd be saving the rest of us."

After a handful of days of manual, minimum wage, service work, Hana clearly saw how worthless the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation is at anything other than royal delegacy. He rolls his eyes at customers, refuses to take orders, and barks back when any patron is rude or has an attitude with him. Truly, the longer she works with him, the longer Hana wasn't nothing more than to shove him in the back kitchen so she would at least have to stop looking at his stupid face. But it's not her shop, so she doesn't have a say.

The same murderous look that shows up on his face when a customer tells him the order is wrong forms on his features as he lays back down. "Even if I found someone, this city is a prison. I don't want to make a life here."

"Life happens wherever you are." Iroh is basically singing. "Whether you make it or not. Now, would anyone like a pot of tea?"

Zuko groans loudly, rolling over onto his side so that his back faces his uncle. But that does mean that he comes face-to-face with Hana's feet. Scrunching his face in disgust and forcing his tired and sore body to sit up, the Prince runs his hands through his hair. Truly, he wants to pull it out. "We've been working in a tea shop all day! I'm sick of tea."

With a gasp, Iroh startles and takes a step back. "Sick of tea? That's like being sick of breathing." He begins rummaging through the cupboard beneath the counter. "Has anyone seen the spark rocks to heat up the water?"

Zuko looks ready to explode at this point. His hair tickles Hana's skin as she brings her foot up to his head and kicks him in the head, before getting up herself and looking back at Iroh. "I have a spare in my room," she says with a pointed glare. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone. Your tea can wait a few more seconds Iroh."

She leaves the men in their room while she goes next door to search for the spare. Before today, she'd had a hard time believing that those two lost their spark rocks but she saw Zuko lose an entire tray of teas today, so she could absolutely believe it. Though they might be bumbling idiots, she couldn't think of a time where they would misplace their own stuff. Especially when they don't have much stuff to lose.

She's pleased, and extremely relieved, to see the two still in the same spots when she returns. "Please don't misplace these this time."

* * *

The next couple days fall as any normal day in the tea shop. A week or so has passed since they had all started working for the small Ba Sing Sae shop but the familiar burn in her feet and back from standing up all day starts feeling so comforting to her. The hour past midday arrives when the tea house runs into a lull and Hana is leaning against the counter, watching Zuko and Iroh deal with the customers they did have.

"This is the best tea in the city!" Hana hears one of the customers praise Iroh as he pours them another cup.

Zuko makes his way back to the counter, turning his back to the front of the shop. He can't keep the disgusted look off of his face when he hears his uncle. "The secret ingredient is love."

When he turns back around, Hana leans over the counter to pinch the Fire Prince's cheek. "Come on, give us a smile," she says, her own plastered large on her face. "A smile will sell anything way better than the product ever will." And just to her expectations, Zuko does quite the opposite and gives her a scowl. She pinches him harder and that makes him pull away from her.

"When did you become a sales expert," he asks, rubbing the spot on his face where Hana pinched him the hardest.

She shrugs her shoulders. "I may not be, but look at him," she says before pointing to his uncle. He flutters from table to table with a kettle of hot water in his hand and a wide smile on his face. Even the people around his seem to radiate the same energy that Iroh shines on them. "He seems to be doing a superb job, and that smile sure helps. Who knows, maybe that smile could lead us to something better here."

This somehow makes him angrier. "Why would we want something better here? Did you forget the whole reason you left your home? I don't know about you, but I'm leaving here someday with or without you guys. Do whatever you want, open a fancier tea shop, marry some dumb earthbender, work the rest of your life. I don't care."

The tension from Zuko's statements don't even have time to settle as not even a second later, the tea shop door slams open and Jet steps inside. "I'm tired of waiting. These three are firebenders!" Jet points an accusing finger at the Hana, Zuko, and Iroh, who don't have to fake the shock that crosses their faces.

Everyone's attention is fixated on the freedom fighter as he unsheathes his hook swords and steps further into the store. The customers are frozen in their seats. Zuko turns to look at the boy, currently coming for him, and he puts an arm in front of Hana. Jet points an accusing finger at Zuko and Hana. "I know they're firebenders! I saw the old man heating his tea!"

Hana knows exactly the moment Jet's talking about. She can see it clearly in her mind as tears spring to her eyes. Iroh heating up his lukewarm tea with the fire he created in his own hand. Zuko knocked the cup out of his hand in begrudging anger. Hana's own fear springs up in her as the faces of her family flash through her mind. Those faces are running through her mind. She wants to throw up right in the middle of the shop as Jet's expression gets angrier and angrier. Like he knows just who the disgusting firebender is now.

A law-enforcement officer seated at a corner table speaks up. "He works in a tea shop." Hana barely even registers his words or the slight laughter coming from the other customers.

She tries to make herself smaller behind Zuko as Jet swings his sword around wildly. "They're firebenders, I'm telling you!" Jet shouts.

The laughter is completely gone by the point. The couple of officers tentatively get up from their table and towards the scene. "Drop your swords boy, nice and easy," one says, taking out his own sword. They close in on Jet and Zuko takes a step back himself, fully pressing himself on Hana.

Jet raises his sword back towards Zuko, an evil smile stretching on his face. "You'll have to defend yourself somehow. Then everyone will know. Go ahead, show them what you can do."

One of the officers prepares to take Jet down himself when Zuko shoves him and Hana behind the counter and grabs for the hilt instead. He leans in close to Hana's ear. "Stay down," he says. "Stay safe." Then he pops up again, his own sword pointed to Jet. "You want a show? I'll give you a show." He growls as bounds over the counter, takes one of the officer's broad swords for himself and takes a fighting stance, standing between Jet and the counter.

Zuko pulls an empty table in front of him with his foot and kicks it forcefully at Jet. The prince thought this would at least give him a moment to get Jet away from where Hana was hidden, but he isn't so lucky as Jet quickly slices his hook swords into the table and jumps over it. As he lands, he swings both hook swords down at the prince. Zuko manages to deflect the attack and jumps to his side and onto another table.

Jet swings one sword through the middle of the table, slicing it in half. Zuko steps to one half of the table, doing his best to keep his balance on one foot, but the freedom fighter doesn't give him any leniency as he cuts through the legs on the half of the table Zuko's standing on and he swiftly hops onto the half that is still standing. Jet is ruthless as he knocks this half to the ground, but Zuko jumps into the air, swinging both broadswords at Jet's feet when he lands.

Jet somersaults away and lands before charging forward at the prince again. Zuko swings both of the swords at Jet, just as both pairs of weapons clash together he kicks his foot out and sends Zuko flying backward. He bursts through the door and tumbles into the street, hearing the faint cry of Hana screaming his name. He peeks back, she's standing behind the counter and has a look of fear so engraved on her face he's worried it'll warp it permanently. Jet sees the prince's distraction as an opening and races after Zuko and strikes at him with both swords to make his carelessness hurt more. The prince pulls his gaze away from his fellow firebender with enough time to block the strike and lock swords again.

Jet sneers, trying to taunt him. "You must be getting tired of using those swords. Why don't you go ahead and firebend at me. If you get any more tired, you won't be able to protect anyone."

This sentiment from the freedom fighter has Zuko turning his eyes back to the counter, and this time he notices his uncle has made his way to Hana, who has moved from the back of the counter to the front, and watching - worried - from the both of them. In fact, it's Hana who is being held back by Iroh at this point. She's struggling against Iroh's grasp, her bare hands shaking as if they are itching to firebend this guy into ash.

"Please, son, you're confused," Iroh calls out. To Zuko's surprise, even he can hear a tinge of fear laced in his words. "You don't know what you're doing!" 

Zuko swings at Jet, but he catches the broadsword with the ends of his hook swords, spins around and deflects it to the side. The prince spins with it and tries to make his own move, but Jet hooks the ends of his swords together and begins moving them at Zuko with large swings. The prince retreats back a few steps to avoid the bladed hilt.

"Bet you wish he'd help you out with a little fire blast right now." Jet growls and swings at Zuko's feet.

Zuko hastily stabs one of his broadswords through the hilt, efficiently pinning it to the ground. Jet's gaze moves towards Zuko's face, the prince's smug grin making him more angry than ever. It makes it a bit difficult focusing back on the banished prince.

"You're the one who needs help," Zuko spits at him in anger.

They are both down to one sword each now as Jet lets go of his pinned hook sword to retreat a step backwards. He turns in one fluid motion and tries to swipe at Zuko, but the prince quickly advances and brings his sword down on the freedom fighter first. Jet pulls his attack just in time to lean back far enough to avoid the blade as the broadsword passes over him, cutting the wheat straw sticking out of his mouth in half. He regains his balance and jumps backward on to the edge of a well. By now several people are gathered around the shop to watch the fight.

"You see that? The Fire Nation is trying to silence me," Jet yells at the top of his lungs, making sure everyone in the vicinity hears him. He glances around the crowd before his eyes finally fall on Hana, who is still fidgeting in her boots and being held back by Iroh. He turns back to Zuko, a poisonous smile crossing his face. "It'll never happen."

Jet hooks his sword on to a wooden beam above the well and swings forward at Zuko. As he gets closer to the prince, he brings his sword out in front of him and points it straight at Zuko's heart. The seconds seem much longer to Hana as she watches the freedom fighter, figuring out his plan before even Zuko. She doesn't hear her screams as she breaks out of Iroh's grasp and races towards Zuko. Somehow she makes it before Jet does. Getting in between the two boys, she wraps her arms around the prince and makes herself completely exposed to Jet's attack. His blade connects with her side, the sharp sword slicing the skin at her right side into two parts.

When Zuko expects her to scream, to cry, she doesn't. As dark scarlet blood stains her work uniform, she doesn't let go of Zuko. In fact, her grasp gets tighter around his neck as if she would collapse if she wasn't holding onto him. Her whole body heats up and the prince immediately pulls away from her when he's hit by a pain all too familiar to him. The pain of being burnt by a blast of fire so hot it melts skin. But when he pulls away he doesn't see fire. Only Hana. 

When she collapses to her knees without a single word, Zuko sees just how red her skin is and when he looks closer, he can see lines of steam rising off her arms and face. If he says anything, Zuko doesn't hear himself but he does see the way Jet reacts. He flinches, eyes wide as he inspects the blood dripping off of his blade.

The crowd blows up, surging forward to surround Zuko and Hana while also separating Jet from them.

"Drop your weapons!"

"The girl! She's hurt!"

"Hana! Hana!" Iroh pushes through the crowd, collapsing next to the bleeding girl when he makes it to them. The Dai Li made the crowd part to assess the situation. His hand shakes as he nears it towards Hana's face, but his nephew stops him right before he could touch her skin. All Zuko can do is shake his head as he watches the horror cross over his uncle's face.

It's the horror of losing one child and fearing the loss of another.

The tea shop manager pointed at Jet. "That boy wrecked my tea shop and assaulted my employees. That girl is my employee that he injured."

The two Dai Li walk up behind Jet. Even the freedom fighter feels a bit dead as he looks up at the stern expressions of the Dai Li's faces. One of them speaks. "Come with us son."

Jet swings his hook sword at the guard who spoke to him, but Dai Li catches the sword with a hand that is covered in stones. The guard then disarms Jet and the two pull the boy's arms behind his back, binding his wrists together using the stones on the palms of their gloves. They drag Jet away towards a wagon designed for holding captured criminals.

"You don't understand! They're Fire Nation! You have to believe me!" Jet shouts.

As the Dai Li are hauling Jet away, and Hana’s skin dies down to a normal color, Zuko cradles Hana in his arms. It takes him a moment to get his head out of the fog engulfing him before looking up. Even though Jet is gone, the crowd has grown even bigger. People pushing others who are just trying to see what the commotion is about. "Please, can anyone help us? I need a doctor, I need a waterbender. Anyone, please!" As soon as he yells for help, the crowd seems to take a collective step back. A nation of earthbenders not sure how to help the bleeding girl. She breathes in a shaky, unstable breath and clutches onto the front of his shirt. Zuko feels himself start to panic, looking from one person to the next. Looking for anyone who will help me.

"Young man, over here." Zuko turns his head around to see a fragile old woman making her way towards them. "I'm a waterbender. I can heal your friend. Quickly, quickly." Despite her size, she is able to take Zuko by the shoulders and navigate him back inside the tea house. She takes command of the room, commanding Zuko to lay Hana on one of the empty tables while making Iroh keep the shop clear of everyone but her and the prince. Zuko gingerly lays Hana on the table on her stomach, his hand sticky with her blood when he pulls away. Even with the blood, her hand seeks his and he doesn't hesitate to get closer to her in any way.

When she looks up at him, the tears that she had been doing her best to hold back run down her face. The Crown Prince of the Fire Nation freezes. Never once had he seen her crying. Laughing uncontrollably, yes. Angry past the point of belief, yes. But crying - crying because he had failed to protect her - no. His grip on her hand tightens and he wraps his other arm around her upper back, pressing her face to his chest.

The old woman rips up the back of Hana's shirt and subconsciously Zuko looks away. His eyes find his uncle standing right outside the shop, looking in with the owner and crowd behind him. He's pale and visibly shaking and Zuko can only think that his uncle is seeing his son in Hana right now.

Hana takes a sharp breath and the prince goes to look at her, until he remembers the condition she's in. Then he realizes exactly how she got into that condition and that seeing her bare back should embarrass him, not her. He should look. See what their recklessness had caused her.

He strokes her sweaty hair as he pulls his eyes back to her skin. The woman has already begun patching her up, the wound slowly stitching itself back together but that isn't what catches Zuko's eyes. Underneath the gash is a pattern etched in red on her skin.

Dragon scales. The markings start at her upper back, right underneath his own hand on her shoulder, and spread across her lower back from her right to left side before disappearing under her waistband. They're a deep red color that cannot be a coincidence or a birthmark. It's almost like she had them tattooed on her skin.

His eyes trace every scale, stroking her hair and rubbing circles into the skin on her hand, and before he knows it the old woman is pulling back.

"She is going to be fine." Her voice pulls the prince's eyes away from the girl and towards the healer. She has already patched Hana up, wrapping her up in an abandoned coat and covering up the red scales. "She lost quite a bit of blood before I could get to her though. She'll need a few days to rest before getting back onto her feet."

Zuko nods but doesn't say anything, letting his uncle praise and thank the woman when she lets herself out of the shop. When he comes back to his nephew's side, Iroh places a reassuring hand on his shoulder and tells him something that Zuko doesn't hear. Hana's cheek is still pressed against his chest but her breathing is steady now. She passed out at one point of her healing and is now drooling on Zuko's shirt.

Iroh is still talking to Zuko as they carry the girl back to their apartment. All the way home, the image of those deep red lines etched into his mind.


	10. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, I’m so sorry Your Royal Highness.” The tone in Hana's voice makes Zuko flinch. “Cut me down if that’s what you wish, but I just got curious as to who could catch your eye so much when I couldn’t even get you to come visit me when I was recovering from jumping in front of a sword for you.”

> "Confidence is similar to a dragon: for every head cut off, two more heads grow back."
> 
> ― Criss Jami, Venus in Arms

  
  


Zuko has been ignoring Hana.

It's been a couple of days since Jet's attack and she has healed up perfectly fine. Iroh made sure that the soreness left her body completely before letting her go back to work, and he was so grateful when she got back to working at the tea shop.

She thought the prince would be so too. He didn't come to see her at all while she rested in her apartment. At first she chose to think it was because the experience was a bit too much for him. She understood. Holding onto someone while they bled out was probably traumatizing to anyone. Then a day or so passed by still without a visit from the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation and Iroh told her it was because he felt angry at himself for letting her get hurt.

At that point though, she was just angry.

Angry that he wouldn't just come see her. Come to see if she was okay. Come to see if she was healing. Come to see if she was coming back to work.

And then when she did, he ignored her. Other than the occasional hand off of tea trays and letting the other know which table it was going to, neither spoke another word to each other. Even when Hana tried to, Zuko instantly made himself busy with something else.

At one point, he even stopped asking her for things at the shop, only going to his uncle for orders or complaints.

And now, when the owner of the shop isn’t in, Hana sits back and lets everyone else work. That’s how she feels anyway, that she doesn’t actually work there at all. It’s also easier to do so when the shop isn’t busy at all. 

She’s sitting in the back room, looking out of the order window as Zuko sets a tray of tea down onto a table. He peers over his shoulder back at her before wandering back up to his uncle. He’s talking under his breath, but she’s able to pick up on some words. ‘Customer’, ‘corner table’, and ‘Fire Nation’. Hana turns her eyes to that same girl and sees her eyeing Zuko with no particular emotion.

The men continue to talk but Hana doesn’t pick up on anything else until Zuko shouts. “What?”

Hana isn’t the only one who is startled by this as the girl at the table spills some of her tea on herself. She takes this as a sign to leave and she stands up to walk over to the men. “Thank you for the tea. What’s your name?”

Iroh smiles slightly at the question, but annoyance crawls up into Hana. She narrows her eyes at the girl. Not that she would ever notice with her eyes glued onto Zuko.

“My name’s Lee. My family just moved here,” he says. His eyes flick over to his uncle when he says it, but he makes no move to acknowledge Hana in the slightest. She can feel her skin heat up, and it takes everything in her not to jump over the window and knock his teeth in.

The girl smiles. “Hi Lee, my name’s Jin. Thank you and… well, I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime.”

Hana can see Zuko’s visible shock, and for a moment, she feels bad for the girl. She can still hear him ranting on and on about how he wasn’t staying in the Earth Kingdom. _Even if I found someone, this city is a prison. I don’t want to make a life here_.

Despite this, his uncle still buts in. “He’d love to!”

Jin’s entire face lights up. “Great. I’ll meet you in front of the shop at sundown.” She turns on her heel and practically skips out of the shop. Iroh throws his arms around a bewildered Zuko. His smile keeps growing larger, even if his nephew is glaring at him. The prince is eventually able to wiggle out of his uncle’s grasp and turns to look up at Hana. He makes eye contact with her for the first time in days and her stomach drops.

There’s a slight blush on his cheeks, and his lips are bright red from him chewing on them. Something he doesn’t do unless he’s really nervous.

“Zuko,” Hana breathes. She doesn’t know what she’s going to say. _You’re not really going, are you? You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. Don’t go. Why won’t you look at me? Please look at me._

As if he was reading her mind, he drops his gaze back to the ground as he passes the order window. “What are you looking at? Get back to work.”

Before she can realize how mad she is, her body tells her as a heat wave so intense she mistakes them for chills run down her spine. Hana doesn’t say anything to anyone before she removes her apron and leaves the shop, not really caring if she puts them out or even gets fired at the end of the day. She just can’t be in there anymore, not when Zuko refuses to look at her or talks down to her.

But above all this, she can’t stop thinking about going on a date though all of this. It gets to her so much that she finds herself hiding in the shadows of a building around the tea shop, waiting and watching for Zuko.

Another wave of heated chills runs down her body when she spots Zuko coming out of the tea shop, his hair combed and wearing the clothing he bought in that Earth Kingdom shop on their first night. Hana doesn’t even notice Jin join him until she reaches up to ruffle his hair. “Well, look at you. You look so cute.”

For some reason, Hana feels relieved when he pushes her hand away. “It took my uncle ten minutes to do my hair,” Zuko grumbles. Hana sags against the wall, a small smile pulling on her face when she thinks of Iroh standing behind Zuko happily brushing his hair out of his face.

Her happiness is abruptly cut short when she spots Jin grabs Zuko by the arm and drags him off into the city. Okay yes, she does feel a little weird following them around, but she just can’t stop herself. Thankfully, neither notice her as they duck inside a tiny restaurant. Hana isn’t too out of her mind though, and stays outside of the building. 

While she sits on the curb, Hana thinks that maybe she should go home. Even to herself, she isn’t even really sure why she’s there. All she knows is that everytime she sees Zuko with that girl, a wave of heat rushes through her body. Plus it doesn’t help that he has blatantly refused to talk to her at all. She jumps when a large crash and the assertive yell of a familiar voice flows out of the restaurant. “She is not my girlfriend.”

Hana’s not going to lie, it feels good to hear.

She sits there a little longer until they leave, Jin again holding Zuko by the wrist and dragging him around until they end up at an open area with a large fountain.

From her post, Hana hears Jin groan. “I can’t believe it! They aren’t lit.”

The life leaves Hana’s body when she knows exactly what Zuko is going to do before he does it. She wants to stop him before he makes a mistake that could cost them everything, but her body won’t let her. Her legs just let her stand alone, in a dark corner, while Jin closes and covers her eyes. Her lungs don’t want to breathe as Zuko holds his hand together, and closes his eyes as he prepares to firebend. Her eyes won’t even blink when he uses his pointed and middle fingers to shoot small bursts of flames in all directions at the candles to light the candles that surround the fountain.

She wants to scream, but her mouth stays pressed shut, when Jin removes her palms from her eyes and she lights up as bright as the candles. 

When she finally gains control of her body again, she takes a couple steps closer to the two, trying to hear anything they’re saying. It may not be the smartest decision, but she doesn’t care because nothing will be as reckless as what Zuko just did. Besides, they’re both looking at the fountain so there is no way they can see her behind them.

Jin brushes her hand through her hair, smiles at him, and holds his hand. Zuko turns to look at the girl smiling at him. When Jin begins to lean in for a kiss, Hana is just baffled that laughter slips out from between her lips. And it gets harder to hold when Zuko quickly draws a piece of paper which he holds between their lips.

“I brought you something,” he says. “It’s a coupon for a free cup of tea.”

Jin melts under his words. “Lee, this is so sweet.”

Zuko takes a few steps back. “Don’t thank me. It was my uncle’s idea. He thinks you’re our most valuable customer.”

“Your uncle is a good teacher,” Jin says so low Hana almost doesn’t catch it. She walks closer to him and the heatwave that washes over Hana is so intense, her knees almost give out. “I have something for you too. Now it’s your turn to close your eyes.”

Hana silently pleads for the prince not to close his eyes, to do anything but close his eyes, but he does, and Hana is pinned to the ground as she watches Jin get closer to him and kiss him. When Zuko returns the kiss Hana’s body pushes her forward, but stumbles on a raised brick in the ground. The noise pulls Zuko’s attention to her and he immediately jumps back away from Jin. He stands for a second, looking at the fellow firebender before walking around Jin and beginning to walk towards Hana.

Jin grabs him by the arm. “What’s wrong?”

Zuko stops for a moment, but doesn’t take his eyes off Hana as she begins backing away into the darkness of the alley. “It’s complicated. I have to go.”

At this point, Hana is running back to their apartments, but she isn’t fast enough to outrun Zuko who is able to grab her by the arm. “Hana, stop,” he grunts while he pulls her back into him. “What were you- How- Did you see that?”

“Of course I saw that,” she yells. “I’ve been following you all night, how could I have not seen that?”

This takes Zuko aback. He hadn’t even noticed her once all night. How could he have not noticed her? Especially when her presence has been in the forefront of his mind for days. Every move she made, he noticed. Every word she said, he filed in his brain. How did he not notice her at all?

“Why?” It’s the only word that he can manage, and it seems to make Hana angrier.

“Why?” She says back to him. “Oh, you know only cause you don’t have the time to talk to me, or even look at me for days, but you have the time to go on a date. Yeah, I wouldn’t know either. Other than it made me so angry, I don’t know why I followed you.” Zuko reaches out, wanting to calm her down. “Don’t touch me,” she says as she pulls back. It’s only then when he notices that her skin is steaming again.

Zuko pulls back. “That doesn’t mean you can just follow us.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry Your Royal Highness.” The tone in her voice makes Zuko flinch. “Cut me down if that’s what you wish, but I just got curious as to who could catch your eye so much when I couldn’t even get you to come visit me when I was recovering from jumping in front of a sword for you.”

“That’s why,” he screams back, his own anger at himself rushing back. “Why do you think I couldn’t see you when you were there because of me?”

His confession doesn’t shock Hana that much because she’s been speculating that the whole time. “It wasn’t you who stabbed me, you absolute moron. I choose to do that. Nothing was your fault, why can’t you get that through your thick skull?” Hana has to take a deep breath before continuing. “Didn’t you think once that I wanted to see you? Did you once think about what I wanted?”

All of Zuko’s anger rushes out of him when he realizes, no, he didn’t think about if she wanted to see her at all. His shame rushes back full force. It’s so intense he can’t even bring himself to say anything as he runs past her into their apartment building.

Iroh looks up at his nephew when he returns and gives him a huge smile. “How was your night?”

“Hana followed us the entire time,” is the only response Zuko gives before he shuts himself in the single bedroom they shared. Moments later, Hana comes into the men’s apartment.

“I-” Hana starts, but is cut off by Iroh’s hand and he nods in the direction of only other room.

Hana knocks so hard against the sturdy frame of his door that it can be heard all the way down the hall, and yet somehow, Zuko seems to miss it entirely... so she knocks again.

Silence.

That’s the last straw. Hana is tired of dealing with him ignoring her, so she opens the door hurriedly with nothing but a heave.

"What do you think you're doing Uncle?" Zuko barks. He’s laying in his bed, the heat of his body hitting her in waves as she approachs.

Hana doesn't know what to say at first as she sits down beside him. He doesn't say anything as he turns toward her, his eyes widening in the realization that the weight he felt wasn't his uncle at all, but rather Hana's.

"What do you want?" He asks, his voice softening only a little as he stares up at her blankly, clearly waiting for an answer. She doesn't have one for him. It may be childish, but she wants to do the same thing today he did every time he got too angry to communicate and stormed off.

She thought they had gotten closer since they made it to Ba Sing Sa, but ever since Jet attacked them Zuko seemed to be getting further and further away. And Hana just wants to know why.

On the other hand, Zuko just wants to be angry for once without Hana tracking him down with that disappointed look on her face.

As if he isn't feeling weak enough already, her inability to accept his defeat isn't helping. He doesn't need her support, all he needs is for her to admit he had failed, so he can move on with his conniption.

“You can’t keep ignoring me forever,” she finally says. “For one, we’re searching for the same thing, so we’re probably going to run into each other whether we like it or not. And secondly-” she pauses and Zuko turns his head over his shoulder to see her staring down at her hands. “It hurts. I don’t want you to ignore me.”

It’s not what Zuko expected to hear. Those two words hurt Zuko more than when he watched her bleed on a table. "You got hurt because of me," he reminds her as if that would change her mind to leaving him alone... he wouldn't be so lucky.

She looks him in the eyes. "Don't give me that look. Jet had it coming and you held your ground. I'm glad you did." She smiles, poking his exposed shoulder lightly. He shifts at the contact but doesn't argue. “And it's just a little sword wound. I've been, and gotten out of, worse," she reasons. Her slight touch on his skin grows warmer as she rubs out the tense muscles in his arm. She doesn't know how much stress he'd been under until feeling the twisted knot.

She expects an argument from Zuko but he’s so focused on the feeling of her delicate touch that it’s difficult to form a coherent thought. Curse her and her magic touch.

"You still got hurt and that's unacceptable," he says, ignoring the release of pressure in his bicep. Hana doesn't know what to say. Was that pain the worst pain she's felt since burning her own hands, yes. Would she do it all over again to make sure he didn't get hurt? Yes. She also knows that she would put her life in his hands again and again without hesitation.

She can tell him that she never once doubted his ability, that she knows he would never let anyone do horrible damage to her, but those things all felt too personal to let on now. It seems like something lovers would do, not that there wasn’t any other motivations about what she was doing now.

"Stop talking and turn over so I can relax that muscle in your neck," she orders. Her fingers are no longer burning, but they are still warm enough with the buzz of her power as she massages the area. Zuko relaxes, feeling better than he had in a long time, and he doesn't really want it to stop.

Despite the vulnerable position, Zuko can’t help but relax into her touch. That’s probably because somewhere in the back of his mind, he knows that she cares for him as he cares for her. That she would never do anything against him. A rare quality to have in someone, especially when his own sister is currently trying to kill him.

"Can I ask you something?" He hums in a much different tone than his usual monotone. She is only slightly alarmed by this as his eyes scan her face hurriedly.

He turns over the question over and over again in his head. _What are those marks on your skin? Where did they come from? What do they mean?_ Those deep red markings have haunted him for days and he cannot place why. "Why do you remain by my side, even through all of this?" He wonders, a vulnerability plaguing his voice, unlike anything she's heard before.

She’s sufficiently caught off guard by his words, even more, startled by the question than she thinks she would be moments before. What is she supposed to say to that? Especially when there isn't just one answer she can give him.

Slowly she straightens, her buzzing fingertips leaving his flesh as she focuses more on forming a single coherent sentence. "Do you know I was there, on the day of your Agni Kai?" She questions. She lets her eyes wander away from his face, trying desperately to look at anything other than him.

Zuko has always had this incredible talent for making everyone around him bow down to his intimidating nature but it had never worked on her, not before this moment. At this moment she looked... terrified.

"You were?"

Hana nods, pinching her lips into a tight line. "My father took me because he heard it was an Agni Kai, but we didn't know who it was. I'd never seen my father more terrified in his life. A man fighting his 13-year-old son. It was cruel. It was wrong. After that, he packed up our family and had us flee. That's why we left. That's the reason my family is still refugees in the Earth Kingdom.

"I want to help you. I want to... be with you. I don't know why. I just do. You're more than you believe Zuko."

For some reason, the idea of looking him in the face now is just too much to bear. He scoffs lightly under his breath at her confession, instantly alarming her to his distaste.

"What?"

Her tone is defensive and curious as she waits for him to tell her what was so offensive it made him scoff. Despite seeing anger, Zuko's face seems to light up at her tone. There’s just something about the rise he can get out of her that he loves.

"You have more people in your life who care about you than I've ever had and yet you stick around with me instead of being with them," he points out. His words aren't entirely accusatory but that doesn't make her any less defensive.

He’s telling the truth but it doesn't matter, she’d choose him over most anyone she’d met in her journey. Unfortunately, it’s hard to put all those feelings into words.

So she doesn't bother.

Before Hana even knows what she’s doing, she leans over and brushes her lips against Zuko's cheek, catching the Prince of the Fire Nation off guard.

But he doesn't pull away.

"Why did you do that?" Zuko asks, his voice gruff as he surveys her. His curiosity is evident in his gaze. 

Her golden eyes sparkle as she looks up at him from underneath her lashes and shrugs. "I don’t know. But what I do know is that I want to be the last one to kiss you tonight." 

Her hand finds his on the bed and Zuko can't hold back his curiosity anymore. If she cares about him as much as she claims to, she wouldn't mind telling him. Right? He takes her hands and links their fingers together before bringing it up to kiss the scarred skin, much cooler than on the day of Jet’s attack. When he looks up at her, he's surprisingly pleased to see that her face broke out into a deep blush. Then before he can chicken out again, he pushes the words right out of his mouth.

"I saw them."

At first, Hana only looks at him, a confused expression crossing her face. Of course, she would. Just saying that without any context wouldn't mean anything to anyone. So with his other hand, he skims her waist.

"Your markings. I saw them. When the old woman ripped up your shirt to heal you I saw them."

Hana’s shoulders drop. "Oh, yeah. Those are my birthmarks."

It isn't the reaction he expected. In fact, he had expected her to push him away since she found out her secret but she didn't do that. Instead, she moves his hand from her waist to her back. Right in the spot where the marks start.

"Those aren't birthmarks,” Zuko says, shaking his head. “No one is born with deep red lines sketched into their skin."

Hana just shruggs. "Sorry. I don't know what to tell you. My parents told me that I was born without them but when I turned two more just started to show up. It took a few years for them to look like more than just a sunburn but we never really thought anything of them."

Zuko's grip on her shirt tightens. There had to be more to that. Red dragon scales just showing up on someone's skin can't just mean nothing.

"Do you wanna see something cool though?" Hana pulls away from Zuko. He’s surprised how cold he feels at the lack of heat that her body produced under his palm, but he forgets abll about it when she turns her back to him and pulls up her shirt. 

“What are you-”

"It’s okay, just look.” She waits until his eyes slowly trail back to her. “See, I have a scar from Jet's sword. Stop it, don't beat yourself up about it. I think it looks cool. But look, the red lines are just sitting on top of the scar. You'd think that it'd get broken up because of the wound, but no."

She's right. Even someone who has tattoos would lose the ink if they become scarred, but the markings on Hana's skin just transferred to rest on top of the fresh scar. His hand hovers over her skin. Looking back at her, he asks for permission before he traces over the lines and scar with his finger, only pressing harder when Hana shivers under his touch.

"I want to figure out what this means," he whispers. "When we get back to the Fire Nation, I'm going to figure out why you have these on your skin."

Hana isn't facing him but he can hear the smile on her face when she speaks to him. "That would be nice."


	11. The Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You did well. Most swords art students would be lucky to even control a blade of that size on the first try.” Though Zuko says this, he doesn’t look at her. “And you almost managed to take me down a few times. I should've figured that you would be much more powerful.”
> 
> Hearing those words fall out of his mouth makes a blush appear on Hana's face. She punches him in the arm. "Ha, well… thanks. We should probably get home before the Earth soldiers lock us away for being out past curfew."

> "A dragon stranded in shallow water is an amusement to the shrimps."
> 
> \- Chinese Proverb

  
  


"Can I get you anything?"

The girl sitting alone at the tea shop glances up from the menu. A broad smile grows on her face at the sight of her server, Zuko, even though Hana knows she is far from surprised. The girl came to this restaurant every day after school, after all, and it’s all for one reason. “The usual, I think.”

Zuko grunts to her and writes down her order. "I'll go ring up your order, it will be out as soon as possible." He then disappears into the kitchen to no doubt get her request.

Hana leans against the counter, eyeing the girl. It isn't very - there are a few tables filled with kids presumably from school. They are in their uniforms and look to be around Hana's age, maybe slightly younger. Other than them, the shop is practically empty. She sighs and walks into the kitchen to see Iroh brewing the tea and Zuko leaning against a counter.

"That girl has been in here every day this week," Hana says. “I think she might be another one trying to catch your eye by stopping in all the time.” His face turns beat red and he can't even speak in straight sentences. Even Iroh can't help but laugh a little at his nephew.

"Don’t even joke about that, one forced date was already enough for me," he retorts, though the red from his face doesn't let up. "And don’t you think to try anything, Uncle."

Iroh chuckles. “Ah, I think I’ve learned my lesson. With our tea shop customers at least.”

Hana smirks while her hand around her back and under her shirt to relive some of the lingering soreness from her scar. The light heat her hands produce unravel the tiny pains stretching out from it. Her relief is cut short when Zuko hands her a tray.

"Can you serve this to the girl?" He asks Hana, pointedly not making eye contact with her. Hana laughs but takes the cup from his hand anyways. Sure, she can't blame the girl, he does look adorable with that apron tied about his waist.

 _What the hell are you thinking?_ Hana shakes that thought from her mind as she walks back out to the girl and sets her cup down in front of her.

"Will that be all?" She asks. The girl shakes her head, clearly disappointed to see Hana in front of her instead of Zuko.

When she returns to the kitchen, she sees Zuko brewing more tea by himself.

"Hey, you," she says, getting his attention. "I've been thinking. Ever since Jet attacked us, I've realized that I'm not as strong as I think I am and I think I want you to train me."

Zuko's eyes go wild at the request. "Are you stupid?" He says through gritted teeth. "You know we're not supposed to be firebending here."

Hana waves him off. "I don't mean firebending, I don't need help in that department. I mean with swords. I can't defend myself here without blowing our cover and it's driving me insane having to be protected by you."

Zuko lets out a breath and takes his bottom lip between his teeth, mulling over his decision. "Fine," he eventually says. "Meet me behind the tea shop tonight after we close." Hana silently cheers, but stops when she notices his glare boring into her. “Don’t make me regret this,” he says before he walks out to the front room.

* * *

The minutes drag out tortuously when Hana is waiting for something. She sighs and walks in circles behind the tea shop. A swarm of customers invaded the shop right before closing, leaving the three exhausted in their wake. Thankfully, Iroh let the teens go early but Zuko wanted to stay behind with his uncle to clean up. And that left Hana waiting in the back alley of the shop alone. That is until she hears the click of the backdoor and sees Zuko walk out apron-less.

"You’re late," she groans, walking over to him. "You set the time and you're still late. Isn't that frowned upon in the royal family." 

"Actually since I am royalty, I am on time. You are just early." Hana’s astonished at his snark reply as he gives her a cheeky smile, actually pleased with himself. She flinches when his eyes connect with hers and shoots her another smile, this one laced with darkness. Hana braces her feet on the floor, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

He casually walks up to her, close enough to brush a loose strand of hair behind her shoulder. For a moment, Hana's body shivers without her consent, and she lets her guard down without thinking. Zuko sees this moment of vulnerability and uses it to jump, spin, knock her to the ground and push his heel to her chest. His yellow eyes glare down at Hana, as he stands above her smirking.

"Expect the unexpected," he says, putting on his pseudo-teaching voice. Hana rolls her eyes as she dusts herself off. "Get into stance!" Zuko growls. She obeys reluctantly as he tosses her one of his double swords. "Good. Take two breaths here and then let see what you have."

Zuko steps back and lets Hana charge at him. The two clash swords and dance around each other as if they are at an Earth Kingdom ball. Though in the end, they aren’t cradled in each other’s arms on a dance floor. Instead, Hana on the ground and Zuko's sword pointed to her chest.

"You're right, you are pretty bad. I could have killed you right here," Zuko says, seeming very pleased with himself.

Hana grits her teeth though takes Zuko's hand when he offers it to her. She tries once more, this time thinking of her next attacks beforehand, but Zuko still has her tumbling to the ground, sword kicked to the side, within seconds.

"Damn, what am I getting wrong? What am I not getting?" Hana groans.

"You’re focusing more on the strength of your attacks and less about the balance and energy into using it," Zuko offers. "You have to think of the sword as an extension of yourself."

Hana starfishes herself on the concrete. "Can you give me a demonstration?" Hana asks, pulling herself to sit up on the ground.

Zuko gives a quiet sigh, but goes through the movements anyway with his usual precision. Hana tries to remind herself not to abuse Zuko's charitableness, as fun as it was to watch him do what she says for a change.

"You do it now, but make sure to focus on your breathing and concentrate," Zuko says.

Hana nods and picks herself off the ground, bringing the sword to her side to replicate Zuko's moves. Her motions are too fluid, more of a frantic open-hand wave than an actual punch. The sword seems to have a mind of its own, waving around her body before flying straight towards the sound of Zuko's voice. Thinking fast, Zuko manages to block.

"Sorry," she says, looking away embarrassed.

Zuko sighs, ranking his fingers through his hair. Teaching Hana becoming more of an obstacle than he previously thought.

"You did well. Most swords art students would be lucky to even control a blade of that size on the first try.” Though Zuko says this, he doesn’t look at her. “And you almost managed to take me down a few times. I should've figured that you would be much more powerful.”

Hearing those words fall out of his mouth makes a blush appear on Hana's face. She punches him in the arm. "Ha, well… thanks. We should probably get home before the Earth soldiers lock us away for being out past curfew."

* * *

Hana didn’t know that sword training was so hard on a human body. She was sore from head to toe. Even walking around to take orders or clean up tables hurt so much. Thank god for Iroh though because he notices just how badly she was hurting and takes over for her on the floor.

He tells her to rest behind the counter as he takes her tray to her table. The man stops Iroh with a hand on his. “So, you're the genius behind this incredible brew. The whole city is buzzing about you! I hope Pao pays you well.”

Iroh waves off the man with a smile. “Good tea is its own reward.”

“But it doesn't have to be the _only_ reward. How would you like to have your own tea shop?”

“My own tea shop? This is a dream come true!”

Hana freezes when she hears the man, her own smile straining at her lips. But unfortunately, she knows if she’s able to hear it, so does the owner. There is a small flash of fear in her eyes, but Hana has to hold back her laughter. “What's going on here? Are you trying to poach my tea-maker?”

The man cannot keep the smile off his face. “Sorry Pao, but that's business for you, am I right?”

At this point, the owner is practically on his knees, begging Iroh to stay. “Mushi, if you stay, I'll make you assistant manager. Wait, senior assistant manager!”

“I'll provide you with a new apartment in the Upper Ring,” the man says. Hana turns her attention to Zuko when she hears the news. He looks completely oblivious as he busies himself loading teacups onto a tray, but does glance over his shoulder to look at his uncle. “The tea shop is yours to do whatever you want, complete creative freedom.”

When Hana looks back to Iroh, his face is glowing. “I even get to name the shop?”

The man smiles back. “Of course!”

Their current shop owner looks ready to cry now. He physically pushes himself between Iroh and the man at the table. “Uh, senior executive assistant manager?”

Iroh hands the store owner the pot of tea before he bows to the customer, agreeing to the terms. It’s then when Zuko walks by as the owner walks away sadly.

Iroh is ecstatic as he claps Zuko on the shoulder. “Did you hear, nephew? This man wants to give us our own tea shop in the Upper Ring of the city!”

“That's right, young man, your life is about to change for the better!” The man is just as happy as Iroh.

All Zuko does is grunt. “I'll try to contain my joy,” he says before walking outside, slams the door shut behind him.

With the owner very distracted with his own grief, Iroh and the man at the table in deep conversation, and the front room basically empty, Hana decides to follow Zuko outside. She finds him not too far from the shop. When she gets close enough, she sees he has a sheet of paper in his hands.

“What are you looking at?” She asks. He jumps, which is a completely different reaction than she has ever seen before.

Zuko hides the paper behind his back. “Nothing, just a missing dog poster.”

“Aw, that’s so sad, let me see,” she says as she goes to reach around him to grab the poster. “Maybe I’ve seen it around.”

“No,” Zuko says. The tone in his voice makes Hana freeze. “I, uh, it’s just that it’s an old poster so they probably already found it.” He crumples up the paper before shoving it in his apron pocket. “We’ve got more work to do. Let’s go.”

Zuko disappears back inside the tea shop, but the interaction was too weird for Hana to let go. She walked down the alleyway behind the stores, hoping to find the poster Zuko had in his hands. She hears the rustling of papers coming from on top of a house she passes and climbs the fire escape on the side to check it out. That’s when she finds several posters stuck to the shingles on the roof. She pulls one off to find that it was a lost poster, but it wasn’t for a dog. It’s for the Avatar’s bison.

Her stomach twists, knowing exactly why Zuko hid that poster from her and what he’s going to do with it. And she has to stop it before he makes a real mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience for this new chapter. I know it's been a couple of weeks and it's a bit shorter than the others, but I promise that it will not be like this any longer. I hope you all like this little chapter of mine!


	12. The Lake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko begins to make a run for it when he notices that the door to Hana's room is slightly hanging open. He reaches out to widen the gap and take a peek. Inside the closet-sized room Zuko's eyes fall on the single bed where Hana is sprawled out on top of the sheets - laying on her stomach, head nuzzled into her crossed arms and her shirt riding up to reveal the bottom portion of her red scale birthmarks. She's taking deep breaths, her arms muffling her soft snoring. The moonlight filtering into the room through the open window makes the scene in front of Zuko so much more beautiful... and so much more difficult to leave.

> "Sometimes life can be as bitter as dragon tears. But whether dragon tears are bitter or sweet depends entirely on how each person chooses to perceive them."
> 
> \- Chinese Proverb

  
  


Zuko knows exactly what he's going to do as he slides open the door to his apartment. He knows it's going to be tricky and that he'll be lying to everyone, but it's what he has to do. His uncle isn't going to like his plan, but if he wants to be happy, he has to do this. He just hopes they'll understand.

Both of them.

It was too late when he realized that he was adding Hana into all of their plans in his head. Whenever he pictured himself somewhere in the future, she managed to squeeze herself into it. In Ba Sing Sae, she was there. On the run in some tent city, she was there. Even back in the Fire Nation where he was back in his father's good graces, she was standing right beside him.

The sound of his uncle talking to him made him stop his intrusive line of thought and look up to find him packing things in a chest. "So, I was thinking about names for my new tea shop. How about the Jasmine Dragon? It's dramatic, poetic, has a nice ring to it."

Iroh has been talking non-stop about opening up his own tea shop in a better part of the city ever since he was given the opportunity a few days ago. He should feel happy for his uncle, he _knows he should_. 

But he doesn't. 

He doesn't want to be here in the Earth City. He doesn't want to be a fugitive running from his own sister. He doesn't want to be working in a tea shop and idly chatting about names for the tea shop.

"The Avatar's here in Ba Sing Sae." The prince holds out the flyer to his uncle. "And he's lost his bison."

Iroh's eyes widen slightly as he takes the flyer. He pursed his lips and shakes his head before handing the flyer back to his nephew.

"We have a chance for a new life here. If you start stirring up trouble, we could lose all the good things that are happening for us." His voice follows Zuko as he paces back and forth.

Zuko spins back to face his uncle, irritation clouding every sense of judgement he has. "Good things that are happening for _you_. Have you ever thought that I want more from life than a nice apartment and a job serving tea?" He balls his hands into fists, feeling the heat from inside him begin to bubble to the surface.

Uncle speaks earnestly but calmly. "There is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity. What about Hana, can't you see the good she brings into your life? In _you_? Can you not picture a life for yourself here... with her." His eyes sharpen. "I suggest you think about what it is that you want for your life, and why."

Zuko stills for only a moment, the image of her golden eyes burning into his brain once again, before turning to look outside. "I want my destiny."

Even with his back to him, Zuko can feel his uncle shaking his head to his statement. "What that means is up to you." Zuko passes by Iroh to sit on this floor, closing his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest like a toddler throwing a tantrum. "The Tea Weevil!" Iroh beams before grumbling. "No, that's stupid."

A moment passes as Iroh continues to prattle off more tea names and Zuko sits very still, his eyes still closed and arms still crossed.

Another voice crashes over his uncle's like a tidal wave. "I still think The Jasmine Dragon is your best option." 

Zuko opens his eyes to see Hana sitting with her back to him and sipping a cup of tea with Iroh. How long had she been there? When did she sit down? How hadn't he noticed her walk in? Why hadn't he noticed her? She was wearing her old Earth Nation clothing. The shirt that shows the triangle of skin on her upper back. He wondered for a second how that shirt could show so much skin but not the large dragon scales that flow down her back. Zuko couldn't stop himself before he begins to imagine dragging his finger down the curve of her spine.

"The Jasmine Dragon it is!" Uncle replies as he pulls out three bowls from the cupboard. Zuko doesn't drag his eyes away from the girl as his uncle begins to dish out rice. "I was thinking tomorrow we could finish packing, then start moving to the new house."

"The sooner the better." Hana's voice is gentle as she shovels rice in her mouth. "Maybe there I'll get a room bigger than a shoe box." She grins as she turns around to hand the prince a bowl of rice. When her golden eyes finally meet his is when his trance is finally broken.

Uncle chuckles as he looks from his nephew to Hana. "That would be magnificent."

Zuko rolls his eyes, trying to tamper down the heat crawling up his face. "Maybe then I can get away from you and your snoring," he teases with a smirk.

"Hey!"

"He's kidding. He's kidding," Hana tries to diffuse the situation but she shoots a look at Zuko that can only mean, _you're not, are you._

The prince stays quiet as the two of them continue to banter and discuss how excited they are to move. Hana keeps peeking over her shoulder at the boy, and when their eyes meet, she smiles gently. For a moment Zuko can see it, the future that his uncle has been trying so hard to get him to see. A future, here, with her. A quaint little house filled with the smell of fresh brewed tea and all the flowers he could buy and... and a couple small children running around. The small patter of their footsteps on the wooden floors. And Hana, watching them chase each other around before turning to smile at him just like that.

Zuko sets his empty bowl down and tries impossibly to shake the image out of his head, but it is seared into his brain.

Both she and his uncle have been telling the prince to follow his heart for the last few days and now his own brain seems to be working against him. Zuko knows they are only trying to help because they care about him. But, it doesn't change his mind. No matter how warm and inviting and seemingly perfect that image in his brain is, it is nothing compared to the looming thought of his father and sister and the fate of the Fire Nation resting on his shoulders. When it comes to the Avatar, he has to rely on himself.

Tonight, he is going after the bison.

* * *

Zuko lies awake waiting for his uncle to fall asleep. Once Iroh's snoring gradually starts getting louder, he slides out from under his sheets. Quickly, he grabs his things and maneuvers into the main room to switch out of his night clothes for the all black outfit and his blue demon mask.

He gently shuts the door behind his, flinching at the soft click that comes by pulling it tight. He begins to make a run for it when he notices that the door to Hana's room is slightly hanging open. He reaches out his hand to widen the gap and take a peek. Inside the closet-sized room Zuko's eyes fall on the single bed where Hana is sprawled out on top of the sheets - laying on her stomach, head nuzzled into her crossed arms and her shirt riding up to reveal the bottom portion of her red scale birthmarks. She's taking deep breaths, her arms muffling her soft snoring. The moonlight filtering into the room through the open window makes the scene in front of Zuko so much more beautiful... and so much more difficult to leave.

With one last look at the bedroom door, Zuko walks towards the window in the hall, soundlessly jumping through it before he starts climbing down to the ground. He knows she's not going to be happy about this when she wakes up but there isn't much he can do.

He's already made up his mind.

As soon as his feet touch the ground, he's on the move. It's not long until the prince comes across what he's been searching for. A lone Dai Li soldier is making his way down the street past the entrance to an alley.

Zuko charges up the street behind him. "Out of my way," he growls as he knocks the Dai Li to his knees, only to continue right past him.

The man readies his stone-glove attack, but Zuko turns and disappears down a side street. The Dai Li soldier rushes in pursuit after the prince, only to come face-to-face with a testing dummy waiting in the darkness. The man, not realizing the body in front of him is made out of straw and cloth, launches his stone gloves at him, one after the other.

The first one hits the dummy square in the chest, causing it to slump forward a fraction. The second stone fist removes the Blue Spirit's head, which he can now see is a straw-filled dummy and it collapses to the ground.

The man stops his attacks and slowly makes his way up to the dummy.

The whisper of Zuko's blade behind the man stalls him for a moment and he begins to ready his earth-bending gloves once again but he is not fast enough before the prince places the sword at the base of his throat. 

"If you don't want to end up like him. You'll do what I say," Zuko says, lowering his voice as deep as it can get. He ties the man's arms securely behind him before he begins asking questions. "Where are you keeping the Avatar's bison?"

Zuko can see fear in his eyes as the blade of his sword pierce the man's skin, a trickle of blood running down his neck and staining his shirt. "It's under Lake Laogai!" He answers frantically.

"And where is Lake Laogai?" He demands impatiently. Zuko's eyes are scanning the man's face for any signs of deception but he does not sense a lie. Not that he has the time to stake out the man's claim first. After all, he is on a time sensitive mission.

"It's not too far from the outer wall," the man says. "Near the farms." 

Zuko smirks before he knocks the Dai Li soldier out cold with the hilt of his sword.

As the prince begins walking, his skin starts to tingle. The single crack of a misplaced footfall tells him that he is being followed. He turns around, twins swords in hand, only to see no one there. He scans the area around him once more before turning back and sticking to the shadows to continue his travels. The city remains quiet as Zuko continues forward. The most surprising aspect of the night is that there does not seem to be any other Dai Li soldiers patrolling the city. 

When Zuko reaches the lake, it takes him a few moments to discover a narrow pathway of land just above the water with an opening at the end. He checks his surroundings once more to confirm the absence of both the Dai Li and civilians alike before dashing down the path and climbing down into the tunnel. 

The prince moves carefully and silently, guessing the absence of the Dai Li up top could mean that they are all down here. Although even if he weren't as quiet, he thinks the chance of running into another human down here was very low. The place is huge, dimly lit, and is set-up like a maze. Zuko could have been walking for a few minutes or a few hours before he hears a loud roar. The sound lights a fire in the pit of his stomach and he turns on his foot and begins to sprint, not caring if anyone could hear his frantic footfalls or not. The prince turns into another passage and comes face to face with a big stone door.

He slides the stone door over and light spills into a chamber from the hallways Zuko was running down. Inside, the bison is chained to the floor and the light from the doorway casts the shadow of Zuko's figure on the beast as he rises. He moans uncertainty as he regards the fire-bender.

_Finally._

"Expecting someone else?" Zuko questions as he steps into the chamber.


	13. The Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She places her hands on his face, running her left thumb over where scar met flesh. "I know that nothing I say or do will change your mind. So I'll just tell you what I know. I know that you are not your father or your sister. Let's be honest, neither of them would have come back to my village as it was being attacked after you had already left." This makes Zuko laugh and it brings a smile to Hana's face even though she is in tears. "You are good and you are kind and you are warm. You are strong enough to follow your own path." She stares deeply into his eyes. "Your father can not give you honor. You, and only you have that power."

> "Our biggest fears are like dragons, guarding our deepest treasures."
> 
> ― Rainer Maria Rilke

  
  


Hana can feel the tension during dinner between Zuko and Iroh. She's not stupid. She grew up with two younger sisters. She remembers the days when one or the other, or heaven forbid both, would have silent arguments with their mother. Sitting across the table glaring daggers into the other while Hana and her father had to bear witness to it all.

So yes, Hana noticed the tense silence between the Fire Prince and his uncle up until she went back into her room that night.

It wasn't strange for them to be fighting. Quite the opposite actually. Those two seem to have one fight or another every single day. No, what was strange about this one is that they decided to leave Hana out of it. And she didn't like that one bit. She could handle the bickering and the screaming and things flying around the room but she didn't like how those two decided on their own to have a silent screaming match while leaving her in the dark.

Neither had to say anything to her for her to know what the fight was about. Zuko’s planning on going after that bison. He must have told Iroh (which was another sting to Hana’s ego) which led them here. And so, because of that, she left her door open just a crack to listen for the boy to leave and follow him to wherever he was going.

Sure enough about an hour after she called it a night, she heard the soft click of a door being shut and timidly placed footfalls as they began walking down the hall towards her room. What she wasn't expecting was for those footsteps to stop abruptly... right outside her room. What she couldn't have ever expected was to hear the door creak open wider and for his breathing to start shaking. She counted the seconds he stood there just watching her and fought every one of her instincts to just open her eyes.

Finally she heard him release a long sigh before turning back around to restart his mission plan.

Hana wanted to get up that very second to follow him, she really did, but when she tried to sit up it felt as if her entire body was made of jelly. Her heart beat too fast, face felt too hot, body felt too heavy but at the same time too light.

She wasn't sure how long she laid in her bed before she heard another soft click of a door shut. That single noise gives her enough conviction to spring up for her bed and stumble out of her room. And there, standing in the hall, is Iroh with a sheepish look on his face as if he's a child who's been caught out of bed.

"What are you doing out here?" Hana asks, reaching up to her face to rub off the lingering heat and mask it as sleep.

Iroh straightens and tries to casually lean on the wall of the hallway. "I was just about to ask you, young lady. Do you know what time it is?"

"Way too late for Zuko to be sneaking out of here, don't you think," Hana says with full confidence that spirals out of control as soon as the look of surprise crosses the former general's face.

Although that surprise quickly turned into curiosity. "How do you know he snuck out at this hour?"

Suddenly the blush rushes back up onto Hana's cheek even more violently than before as the thought of Zuko standing where she stood now and watched her sleep. She buries her face in her shoulder, trying desperately to hold onto any dignity she had left.

"Not important," she says, hoping her voice is muffled enough to hide the shakiness. When she peeks up she can see Iroh smiling slyly at her. "Shouldn't we be following him instead of standing in the hallway like a pair of nosy aunts?"

Iroh reluctantly agrees with her and leads the way down the streets, following the prince from a good distance. The two tail Zuko into an alley and Iroh steps in a broken part of the ground. It crumbles from under him, and makes way too much noise for two people trying to follow someone without being seen. Zuko pauses for a moment and Hana shoves Iroh around the corner. She holds her breath until he begins moving again.

* * *

The trek to Lake Laogai doesn't take as long as Hana predicts. It's only about ten minutes later when they reach it. It takes much longer to wait for Zuko to find the damned entrance.

"To his credit though," Iroh tries to defend his nephew. "It's supposed to be hidden."

The two stand outside the entrance of the underground portion of the lake for a few moments after the prince disappeared underneath it. Hana looks back to Iroh who is still crouching behind a tree with no indication of moving. When she finally makes a move to stand up, Iroh grabs the bottom of her tunic. 

"You don't have to go in there with me."

Hana glances at him before turning her attention back to the entrance of the lake, where Zuko is currently climbing down, down, down the tunnel. "I might not have to, but I want to." She smiles at Iroh, who is now standing next to her. "You guys will probably need my help anyways."

Iroh descends into the opening first and Hana follows on his heels. They reach the bottom in a matter of seconds and a chill runs through Hana as she observes the dark tunnel before her. She can't see Zuko, can't even hear his footsteps, but she trusts Iroh as he leads her through the twisting passages. Soon they come to a halt at a large stone door.

Iroh places his hand on Hana's shoulder. "Let me go first."

She nods and moves aside for him to open the door. Zuko jumps to turn to us, his twin swords ready to attack. Iroh and Hana make them seen and he lowers them a fraction.

"Uncle? Hana?"

"So, the Blue Spirit. I wonder who could be behind that mask," Iroh questions.

Zuko brings his hands up to the back of his head and lets the blue mask fall to the floor. "What are you two doing here?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. What do you plan to do now that you have found the Avatar's bison? Keep it locked in our new apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for him?" Iroh has a mask of calm over his anger but it is cracking at the edges.

"First I have to get it out of here."

Iroh speaks in a voice that makes both Zuko and Hana jump. "And then what?! You never think these things through! This is exactly what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole! You had him, and then you had nowhere to go!"

"I would have figured something out," Zuko answers, trying to match his uncle's tone.

Iroh shakes away Zuko's excuse. "No! If his friends hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death!"

Hana knows this story. Knows that Zuko had made a call, a bad call, and almost died for it. She never knew what that call was, but she did know that's why Iroh never truly trusted his nephew anymore. Zuko glances at Hana before looking away in anguish. "I know my own destiny, Uncle."

She goes to step forward but Iroh places a hand on her shoulder. This is a family affair and no matter what she thinks she is to the Fire Prince, she’s not his family. "Is it your own destiny? Or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you?" Iroh asks forcefully, trying to get through to his nephew.

Zuko's face twists in torment. "Stop it, Uncle. I have to do this." He turns away toward Appa and Hana swears her heart skips several beats.

Iroh shouts turn into frantic pleads. "I'm begging you, Prince Zuko! It's time for you to look inward, and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you, and what do _you_ want?"

With a cry of frustration, Zuko hurls both of his swords to the ground. This time Iroh doesn't stop Hana when she moves towards the prince. She rushes over to him, putting herself in front of the anguished Zuko, with only a fraction of an inch between them.

She places her hands on his face, running her left thumb over where scar met flesh. "I know that nothing I say or do will change your mind. So I'll just tell you what I know. I know that you are not your father or your sister. Let's be honest, neither of them would have come back to my village as it was being attacked _after_ you had already left." This makes Zuko laugh and it brings a smile to Hana's face even though she is in tears. "You are good and you are kind and you are warm. You are strong enough to follow your own path." She stares deeply into his eyes. "Your father can not give you honor. You, and only you have that power."

He turns his head out from under her gaze but Hana forces it back to look at her. "Don't hide from me, Zuko. I swear that if you try to hide from me again I'll bury you alive." Her voice is fierce and full of conviction. "I know who you are. You are stubborn and hot-tempered and horribly social inept but you are also worth so much more than what that man can give you."

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrap around Hana in a bone-crushing grip. She struggles to breathe for a moment and thinks to ask him to ease up a bit, but she can feel his arms shaking against her skin. Can feel how much she needs this, so she snakes her arms around his back and grips his shoulder with the same intensity.

His voice, although shaky, is more clear than it had been all night. "How do we get him out of here?" Hana rests her head on his shoulder to look up at a metal grate above the bison.

Hana slowly untangles herself from Zuko, only letting go fully when he voices that he is 'fine now' and walks towards the Avatar's bison and he growls. "It's okay, darling. You're okay. My name is Hana and I'm a friend. We're here to help you." The animal gives the girl an uncertain look but she still keeps making hesitant steps towards the beast. "If you don't believe me, I'll promise you that His Royal Highness will come nowhere near you this whole time."

She can hear Zuko grumble behind her but apparently that was the right answer because the bison lets him put her hand on his nose.

"So what's your plan?" Zuko asks as he looks down at Hana with curiosity.

"Iroh, stand over there. I'll lift you up onto the pillar. I need you to weaken the grate so the bison can fly through." He nods and stands in the area she's pointed to. "I'll do the same to the chains, and Zuko..."

Zuko lifts his head at his name and Hana flashes him that same breathtaking smile.

"Please stand there and do nothing."

Hana turns back towards the animal and begins petting his face gently. Whispering gentle words to him, she lights a small flame on the tip of her finger and melts the chains away one by one. At one point, she sings to the bison as if he was one of her younger sisters.

The final chain falls to the ground and Iroh has broken the grate wide enough for the beast.

She advises the old man to step back with his nephew. "The Avatar's bison should be able to break free on impact."

She pats his hair down once more and the beast eyes Hana with the same uncertainty he has before. She whispers 'Go' to him and he looks at the girl for one more moment before slamming his tail to the ground. He lifts up into the air and when he hits the grate, it breaks easily. 

Hana runs back to the man, grabs Zuko's hand and turns to Iroh. "We need to get out of here before the Dai Li finds us!"

The three flee the chamber and race down the tunnels towards the way they entered. Zuko climbs out of the opening first before turning back to help Hana and Iroh.

They're all standing in the thickest part of the forest, gasping for breath and sweaty, but Hana stills screams and laughs and jumps for joy when the Avatar's bison comes into view. Iroh places a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "You did the right thing, nephew." Zuko pulls out the Blue Spirit mask, regarding its demonic visage. "Leave it behind."

Hana squeezes his free hand. "You don't need it anymore."

Zuko gazes at her, taking in every line and curve of her face, before walking to the edge and dropping the mask into the lake, watching it slowly sink under the black water. Hana slides her arms around his waist and holds on tight. Zuko releases a deep breath and leans back into Hana, covering her hands with his.

She lifts up onto her tiptoes to get her mouth as close to his ear as possible. "I'm proud of you, your royal highness."

Zuko flips around in her arms, using the movement to wrap his own arms around her shoulders, and smiles at me. His eyes are warm from her words, then, he leans forward and places a tender kiss on Hana's forehead. When he drifts back, he takes notice of her burning cheeks. He moves one of his hands to brush his fingers over her cheek.

"I like when you blush." His voice is warm and makes her body tingle in the same way it was earlier that night.

Hana smirks up at him. "Good, because it happens more often than I like to admit." He grins and untangles them to interlock their fingers.

Iroh silently follows the two teenagers and listens closely as they talk to each other in hushed voices. They stay that way all the way back to apartments and even then Iroh doesn't separate the two as they stand in front of Hana's room. He just eyes their interlocked hands once more and goes to bed, drifting off to the beautiful sound of his nephew's laughter.


	14. The Illness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana bites down on her bottom lip. It shouldn't have hurt to hear the truth like that, but it does. As often as she’s insulted him and as often as he’s annoyed her, Zuko has quickly become one of her closest friends. She couldn't understand why. He’s supposed to be the epitome of everything she hates, everything she doesn’t want to become. The reason she couldn't bend in public and her family is considered traitors to their own people. Despite this, Zuko had given her an unexpected friendship. Whether she likes it or not, he’s a landmark in her life and hearing that he thought himself unworthy of that makes her heart ache.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I never expected all the love. It means so much to me that there are people who are reading and bookmarking and kudoing and commenting. I'm so glad you love it.
> 
> We're about a little under halfway through the fic and I wanted to thank you all for being on this journey with me. I wrote this fic back in high school and went back to clean it up every year or so until I felt it needed to be published. I appreciate every one of you.
> 
> Happy reading!

> "He who fights too long against dragons becomes a dragon himself; and if you gaze too long into the abyss, the abyss will gaze into you."
> 
> — Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil

  
  


"Is he going to be okay? I've never seen anyone this sick before. Even when my little sisters got chicken pox."

"I'm afraid this isn't a normal sickness." Hana glances up at Iroh as he speaks. "We will have to let it run its course." His arms are still wrapped around his nephews shoulders – his unconscious nephews shoulders.

He's limp between Hana and Iroh, his head ducked down so his shock of black hair dangled in his face and over his closed eyes. Hana resists the urge to reach out and stroke it away from his forehead; but even after the events of last night Hana was still wary of giving affection towards the prince. She wasn't really sure why he had suddenly fallen sick but here he is, sweating and shivering and breathing harshly.

Zuko had gone to bed that night as fit as a fiddle but when the sun rose and Iroh tried to wake up his nephew, he couldn't. Soon the sweating and chills started. She couldn't do much, but Hana had done what she could with the resources she had; a few old quilts stolen from the apartment next door, a flea-infested pillow that she knew he would not be happy to discover whenever he woke up, and her own fire to keep him warm and soothe his tense muscles.

"I'll brew us some tea whilst you get him comfortable." Iroh says once the door was closed. "Tea is the best medicine."

"So you've said," she mumbles. She drops to her knees beside Zuko, grabbing onto his arm and arranging him in what she hopes is a comfortable position. His skin is warm to the touch, beads of sweat dotting his forehead despite the slight tremble racking through his body. 

Hana pushes her hands through his hair, brushing it back. His pale skin is taut against his bones, and his eyes are so sunken that he looked like he got punched in both eyes.

Ever since Iroh called her into their apartment he had kept explaining that whatever Zuko had was not a normal sickness. Not the common cold or the chicken pox, but something much deeper in his core. She wishes he would stop being so vague but she also knew that Zuko came before her in this moment.

Iroh finishes and comes to join Hana. He settles on his knees, folding his legs over one another before gently handing Hana her cup of jasmine tea, taking a small sip of his own.

She holds the cup between her fingers, refusing to take her eyes from Zuko's unconscious body.

"You should not worry about the prince, my dear," Iroh says.

Hana’s fingers tap against the warm glass. "Can't you tell me what happened to him?" She asks. "Did he push himself too hard at the lake? I mean, he was just fine yesterday."

Iroh shakes his head, casting a glance down at his nephew. "I'm afraid I cannot, Hana. The time will come when all will be revealed." Though the old man is trying to keep up a front of confidence, it’s obvious in the way his hands grip the pottery of his cup that he's very far from calm. Zuko begins tossing and moaning, and Hana’s heart squeezes. She puts down her cup and cups his cheek. At her touch, he moans and his eyes flutter open.

"Zuko, hi, how are you feeling?" Hana asks as she leans over him.

"Awful," he moans. She can only imagine the pain the prince is experiencing but he still reaches up to squeeze her hand.

Iroh returns with some clean water and places it on the floor as he kneels next to his nephew. "You're burning up. You have an intense fever." Iroh wets a cloth and places it over Zuko's brow again. "This will help cool you down."

Zuko's voice comes out scratchy. "So thirsty." He tries to sit up, but is pushed back down by Iroh.

"Here's some clean water to drink." Iroh ladles water from the bucket and Hana moves to sit behind Zuko, supporting his shoulders while he drinks. "Stay under the blankets, and sweat this out."

Zuko gently takes the ladle from his uncle and drains it completely. He then reaches for the blanket but he looks so sick that she can't not help him. She folds the blanket around his shoulder and before she moves out of his way. He lays his head down into her lap, wrapping an arm around her waist as he settles back down and eventually falling back asleep.

Iroh comes back into the room with more water and asks her if she wants her to switch places with him. She waves him off. "I don't want to risk waking him," she mumbles with a small smile. It's the least she could do if he wanted her to be his pillow.

She runs her fingers through his hair again and she begins to think that the worst has passed until his shivering worsens.

Hana looks up at Iroh, but before she can speak, he gets up off the ground. "I'll get some more blankets." He walks across the room, collecting one of the blankets from the corner table.

"Is there anything else I could do? I feel like I'm being useless." She's basically whispering as to not wake up the sleeping boy on her lap.

Iroh shakes his head. "You just being here is helping him so much. Get some sleep. If you're exhausted then you won't be able to help him." He places another blanket over Hana.

She closes her eyes, inhaling deeply through her nose in an attempt to bring her nerves down. She heard those words on multiple occasions – that Zuko is different around her, that he cares for her like he cares for no one else. Most of the time, she doesn’t believe it, but there have been a few times where that statement rang true. Whenever Hana and Zuko are alone together, it’s as if the world truly doesn't exist. He laughs loudly and carelessly, forgetting about the wretched state his life had been left in after his exile from the Fire Nation. She always believes that it’s only because she’s refused to let him deal with life on his own, and that's just his way of showing his gratitude.

But then there are times like this where Hana believes that Zuko doesn't give a shit about her in the slightest, because that’s the easiest excuse to come up with. If he truly cares for her, why is he always so willing to throw himself into danger, always so willing to risk his life? Did he not understand what his death would do to her?

"I know why you are worried," Iroh says. Hana slowly looks over at the elderly man. "You've both found someone who neither of you want to let go. You're afraid what would happen if he were gone. So am I, Hana, so am I."

"I'm not afraid to lose him." Her eyes trail back down to the unconscious boy. "Not the Zuko that we found in that chamber. The Zuko that came back out, maybe, but not the Zuko who just wants revenge."

"Zuko has always had a vicious streak. Ever since his banishment."

She continues to run her fingers through his hair and rub his arm with her other hand. "Has it ever gotten this bad? It seems like all he wants is the Avatar."

The sigh that comes from Iroh is filled with much more than fatigue. "He only wants the Avatar so he can impress his father."

Hana shivers thinking of the Fire Lord. "That's just sad," she says. "His father burned him, Iroh. His father scorched the side of his face and exiled him – why does he still feel the need to impress somebody who was so terrible to him?"

Iroh's silent for a moment. He doesn't drink his tea, doesn't move. He simply stares at her, the cogs working behind his eyes.

He then lifts the cup to his lips, taking a long and loud sip. "That is the mindset of a man who has no mind of his own. He doesn't do anything for the sake of himself – he wants to impress others. That's all he thinks he's good for. That is until you. Last night was the first time I had seen him change his mind for the better."

Hana bites down on her bottom lip. It shouldn't have hurt to hear the truth like that, but it does. As often as she’s insulted him and as often as he’s annoyed her, Zuko has quickly become one of her closest friends. She couldn't understand why. He’s supposed to be the epitome of everything she hates, everything she doesn’t want to become. The reason she couldn't bend in public and her family is considered traitors to their own people. Despite this, Zuko had given her an unexpected friendship. Whether she likes it or not, he’s a landmark in her life and hearing that he thought himself unworthy of that makes her heart ache.

And so she lets him continue to sleep on her lap even long after her legs fall asleep, listening to the sound of Iroh's soft humming as the night draws on. The old man eventually falls asleep, but she stays awake and watches over the stirring, unconscious body of the man she hated to love.

* * *

"You're awful for putting me through this. You know that, don't you?"

The only response Hana receives is a brief flicker of his eyelids.

"Yeah, you're not even gonna reply. Not even gonna wake up to tell me to be quiet."

This is met with an even smaller response. Not even his eyelids flicker. For a second, the room is so still that Hana very nearly convinces herself that Zuko has stopped breathing entirely.

The prince hasn't woken up since that night he fell asleep in her lap. That was two days ago. Since then she has been having trouble sleeping, eating and generally living. Especially since Iroh is still refusing to tell her what this mysterious sickness is. 

Hana closes her eyes and lays her head against her knees, trying to fight off the urge to cry. She blames it on her exhaustion. She hadn't slept very well the night before – hadn't slept very well for a number of days now – and staying up all night is draining her. But her brain isn't letting her sleep. She can't close her eyes without thinking Zuko has somehow slipped into death the moment she becomes unaware. She feels an unwavering need to stay awake to ensure he stays alive, and that’s all there is to it.

"I hate you so much sometimes, Zuko," she whispers into her clothing. She doesn't mean it. She knows she doesn't mean it because the words taste acidic in her mouth, but she wants to mean it. She wants to come to her senses and realize that somebody who would willingly put her through all of this stress could not possibly want the best for her.

"Why can't you just learn to leave things alone?" Hana asks. "It would be doing us all a favor, but you're so god damn stubborn that you don't see that. You just see what you want and screw what everyone else thinks."

She pauses. It's her own voice echoing back at her. Zuko isn't replying. Not even Iroh shifts from his slumber. She's talking to herself.

She closes her eyes and bundles herself into an even tighter ball, as if doing so would somehow help her disappear from view completely; the past few days have been difficult, and Zuko's sudden change in health hasn't done anything to help.

She gently places the back of her hand against his forehead. His fever is definitely disappearing, but he is still far too warm for her to feel comfortable leaving him unattended. Perhaps she can wake up Iroh, get him to sit and keep watch for a little while while she gets some rest.

As soon as the thought enters her mind, she banishes it.

She isn't staying awake to keep watch. She is staying awake in case he died. If Zuko died, she doesn't want to be sleeping when it happened.

So she stays awake, patting his sweat-soaked forehead every now and then, and hoping and praying that he will somehow feel her presence beside him. That somehow, that would wake him up just because it’s her there and nobody else. It’s a stupid thing to hope for, but one that replays in her head nonetheless.

* * *

The room has shifted.

Looking around, there's very little to give away her whereabouts. She recognizes a few artifacts from the room she had once sat in – Iroh and Zuko are still with her, and there is still a pile of cloth upon a wooden floor that she is using as a pillow. The walls are decorated with black tapestries, giving the room a darkened effect that weirdly reminded her of the winter nights back in her village in the Fire Nation. How the moon would glow through the windows, the sound of laughing children drifting in from the open windows.

That was a pleasant experience. This gives off a more sinister aura.

She slowly sits up and looks around. Iroh is still sleeping on a pile of cloth in the corner, his back to Hana. Zuko, on the other hand, is wide awake, sitting bolt upright in the quilts he had once been unconscious beneath. His eyes are dark, darting around the room. Sweat is dripping off of him, and his hands are trembling.

Hana is by his side in seconds. She grabs onto the back of his neck, inspecting his face for any sign of damage. She keeps a grip on his neck, though, refusing to look away until she could deduce what was wrong.

Because something is wrong.

"Zuko," she says. Her voice doesn't sound like hers. It's distorted, echoing in her head. "Zuko, you shouldn't be up. What's wrong? What do you need?"

His hand reaches out, trembling as it grips her throat. She doesn't move. She simply stares down at him, mouth open, words dying at the curl of his fingertips. He doesn't add any pressure, his fingers gripping limply at the base of her throat.

"Dying," he suddenly spits out. "I'm dying." Blood pools from his mouth, dripping into her lap. She wants to scream out, wants to pull away and run as far from this nightmare as she possibly can, but there's no movement in her limbs, no feeling at all. She can only stare at him with wide and terrified eyes as his skin melts away from his bones entirely, as if he had been dipped in acid and this is what’s left behind.

His fingers on her throat squeeze. There is a tiny pinch of his fingernails, but not enough to cut off any air.

And then he's gasping, crying Hana's name while swinging his free arm around to try and grab anything. Her eyes widened further. She tries to hold and calm him down, but when she goes to move, she finds she can’t. She can barely breathe, let alone move to help him.

His eyes roll into the back of his head as his hand drops from her skin. Her name falls from his lips one final time before he's collapsing back against the pile of quilts. Without even touching him, she knows his pulse wouldn’t beat under her touch.

Hana screams.

* * *

She hears her name being called just as Zuko’s name is ripped from her lips. She shots forward, following them back into reality. Sweat beads the back of her neck, making her hair stick to the flesh in a way that is uncomfortable, but it's the least of her worries at the moment.

It was a dream. A nightmare more like it, but Zuko's okay. He has to be okay.

Her head snaps around. Iroh is kneeling beside her, one hand pressed to her forehead whilst the other holds a mug of water that he immediately tilts into her mouth. She chokes on it, but manages to swallow past the panic rising in her throat.

"Is he awake?" Hana asks, being unable to see the prince past Iroh's figure.

"I'm awake."

His voice is weak, barely there. He always had a scratchiness to his tone, but this time he sounds almost unrecognizable.

Hana's breath is stolen from her lungs, pushing past Iroh to rush to Zuko's bedside. He's awake, eyes open and staring at her in both a mixture of shock and confusion. She would explain everything to him later, she silently promises to herself, but for now, she needs to make sure he’s okay. She needs to make sure that the nightmare she had just experienced hadn't somehow come to life.

Before the prince can complain, Hana brushes her fingers to the base of his throat to feel for a pulse. It’s clear he’s dead, but she wants to be safe, as if his open eyes and heavy breathing isn't evidence enough of his well state.

"Oh, thank god," she whispers before collapsing, her face pressed against his shoulder.

He reaches up and pats her head, waving his fingers through her sweat-soaked hair. "What were you yelling about?"

She ignores his question, instead choosing to unbutton his sweat-soaked shirt and get to work with stripping him off. "Are you not boiling? You still have a fever."

Zuko sputters when her hands brush against his freshly-bared chest. "I'm fine, Hana, but you didn't sound fine whenever you were-"

"I was asleep," she scoffs. "I couldn't have been better if I was in a medical ward. Now, let me take this shirt off before you catch a cold off your sweat."

"Stop talking about my sweat. You're lying to me." He tugs on her wrist, forcing Hana to look him in the eyes. "You’re sweating way more than me, and you’re not the sick one here."

She pries her hand out of his grip, glaring right back at him. "It was nothing. We have bigger things to worry about than my nightmares."

"You had a nightmare?"

"Just a small one."

"That included me?"

She raises a brow, fighting the heat that's rising to her cheeks. "What makes you say that?"

"You called out my name."

Her hands are still on his shirt button. When she looks back at him, she catches the small smirk on his lips, knowing full well he caught her. She swallows and slowly starts trailing her hands down the buttons again. She doesn't speak until she's shoving the shirt off of his shoulders and gripping it tightly. He now sits bare-chested in front of her with that stupid grin appearing on his face. Oh, how she wants to smack him. She wants to put him in his place, remind him that just because he's a prince, doesn't mean he's special.

She refrains from doing so with the presence of Iroh just behind her, watching over the two with a fond smile on his face.

"Hana," Zuko says, snapping her back to reality. "Was I in your nightmare?"

"You usually are," she grumbles. "You certainly give me lots of material to have nightmares about."

Zuko chuckles shortly. His throat still sounds raw. "Is that a compliment?"

Hana grits her teeth and pushes at his forehead, shoving him back into the quilts. He smiles up at her, but doesn't make another move to follow when she stands up and starts across the small living room to sit next to his uncle. "Are you going to tell us about this mysterious illness that the prince has come down with?"

Iroh nods his head and sets down his cup of tea. "Of course." He looks at his nephew. "You should know that this is not a natural sickness."

"What's happening?" Zuko asks.

Iroh smiles. "Your critical decision. What you did beneath the lake." He leans over to feed Zuko some tea from a second cup. "It was in such conflict with your image of yourself that you are now at war with your own mind and body."

"What's that mean?" Zuko asks. He takes another sip of tea but ends up coughing and sputtering before laying back down onto his cot.

"You are going through a metamorphosis, my nephew. It was not a pleasant experience, but when you come out of it," Iroh takes a cloth and wipes the sweat off of Zuko's forehead. "You will be the beautiful prince you were always meant to be."

Zuko's eyes flick to Hana and she feels her face heat up almost instantly. She tosses his shirt that she had been clutching into a bag before tying it up. "I'm gonna go down to the lake to wash some clothes. Iroh, make sure he doesn't follow me."

Iroh nods. "He will not be let out of my sight!"

With one final glance in the prince's direction, she grunts and walks out the door.

The lake's peaceful, a good change of scenery from the depressing atmosphere of the house she’s been inside for days.

It's not crowded today. There's a few children playing with boulders on the other side of the lake, and she assumes their parents are watching them from the sidelines. She settles down on the riverbank and dumps the clothes from her bag, thinking about everything that Iroh has just said.

She loves the idea of Zuko being and getting better, she can't stand seeing him in so much pain, and then there's the nightmare that she can’t hide even if she wanted to. She doesn't want to think about it, of course. Zuko probably couldn't care less about what she actually dreamed about; he was just trying to get a reaction out of her and, as always, she had given him one.

But the nightmare startled her, whittled her willpower down to nothing. She needed to yell at somebody, and if Zuko’s giving her a free pass to yell at him, she’s going to take it the first chance she got.

Hana doesn't hear the approaching footsteps over the sound of the swishing water. It's only when she feels a hand on her shoulder does she snap up, winding around with the reflexes that the Fire Nation had raised her to have. Her elbow slaps against the culprits throat, knocking them to the ground before they have a chance to say anything, and before she even has the chance to see who it is.

She’s on top of them in seconds, one hand wrapped around their throat while the other holds their arm in the air, stopping them from attacking her.

But then she looks down and meets the eyes of Prince Zuko.

It doesn't matter how close she thinks she is to the prince – he's still the prince. Hana had still been raised on the rules of respecting royalty; to see that she had just injured the prince of her home land is startling enough for her to scramble off of him in a matter of seconds.

He grunts, gripping his ribcage. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"What are you doing out here?" Hana hisses, raising herself onto her knees. "Did Iroh actually let you leave?"

"I don't need my uncle's permission to do anything," Zuko grumbles. He props himself up on his elbow and winces at the movement. "Oh, you winded me."

"Apologies, your highness," she groans. "But it's what you deserved. Now what are you doing here?"

"Is it not obvious?" When Hana doesn't reply, Zuko sighs. "I was looking for you."

Hana’s eyes roll far into the back of her head. "Well you've found me!" She says before turning back to the river. "Now you can go back to the house and get under the covers like you're supposed to."

An amused smile rises on Zuko’s lips. He wraps an arm around her waist, twisting her back to look at him. "Are you trying to give me orders? The prince of the Fire Nation?"

She lifts one of her eyebrows. "You're gonna pull the power card on me?"

"If it works."

She scoffs. It’s working. "What do you want, Zuko?"

Now the smile has all but completely vanished, replaced by tight lips and concerned eyes. "For you to tell me the truth."

"About?"

"That nightmare you had."

Hana blinks. The nightmare. He's still thinking about it?

"I've already told you the truth," she lies. "It wasn't a big deal. You don't need to keep going on about it."

"Yes, I do. You're my friend."

"I'm the help."

Zuko's eyes darken. He has never liked hearing her put herself down like that, never liked it whenever she claimed she was nothing more to him than an advantage to his plans. A part of her knows it isn't true. Zuko has shown he cares about her on numerous occasions through numerous different methods, but there’s still that part of Hana that won’t believe it. The part that fled from the Fire Nation and lived in hiding in the Earth Kingdom, who grew up not being served but serving others, who burnt her own skin after taking a life with them. Whenever she’s locked in that mindset, it leaves little room to think of herself as anything other than that – a burden. A prop for other people to use.

"You called out my name in your sleep," Zuko says. "What was I doing in the nightmare?"

Hana turns her face away from him. "Nothing."

Zuko follows Hana’s gaze, but each time he finds it, she moves once more. "Was I hurting you?"

"No,” she says in a quiet voice.

"Was I annoying you?"

This time she breathes a laugh. "No. That only really happens when I'm awake."

Finally, Zuko takes her face in his hand and forces her to look at him, red-faced and all. "Then what about the nightmare, Hana? What was I doing?"

With one strong push, Hana shoves Zuko back. "You were dying, Zuko!" Again, the words are ripped from her lips, only they echo this time. Repeated in loose spirals as they bounce off of the trees around them – and she can't take them back now. "You were dying," she repeats, softer this time. "There was nothing I could do about it, either. You were saying my name, asking for help, and I couldn't do anything."

Zuko blinks. His skin has paled even further, his mouth open slightly. Hana squeezes her eyes shut, digging her fists into her temples in any attempt to get the horrific image of Zuko's death out of her head, but it's no use. Every time she looks at him, that's all she can see; the blood draining from between his teeth, landing in her lap as her body goes static.

"I had a nightmare about you dying," she says. "You may annoy the hell out of me the majority of the day, Zuko, but I would never wish you dead. I've grown quite fond of you."

There isn’t much time for him to wrap his brain around what she just said, so he just laughs. "I'm quite disappointed that you thought I was weak enough to die at the hands of a mere fever."

Hana rolls her eyes. "I'm not kidding, Zuko. It was scary."

"It wasn't real." He slides back to her, closer this time. His knee leans against her own. She can feel the warmth of his fevered skin mingling with her chilled body. He very rarely does this – showed any form of affection for another human being, but she has to pride herself on the fact that she’s one of the few people with whom he doesn't entirely mind being touchy with.

"That's not what I thought when I was dreaming about it," she grumbles.

His hand's on her leg before she can comprehend he had even moved. Hana stiffens beneath his touch, but doesn't pull away. "I truly appreciate your concern for my well-being, Hana, but it's going to take a lot more than a fever to kill me,” he says. “Much, much more."

Suddenly, everything she was going to say vanishes. Instead, she nods.

He raises a brow. "That's all that happened in your dream? I just died?"

This time, a small smile returns to her face. "You tried to strangle me but you were too weak to do it."

"Another unrealistic thing – first of all, I would never strangle you. Second of all, if I did, I wouldn't be too weak to do so."

Hana scoffs and nudges his shoulder with her own. The air around her has settled into one of serenity, leaving her feeling ten times lighter now that Zuko has been made aware of the nightmare she had about him. If he found it strange that Hana had pictured him dying, he wasn't showing it. In fact, for the first time in weeks, Zuko almost looks amused.

"I'm serious," he says. "I really do appreciate your concern, but I'm okay."

Hana swallows thickly and raises her eyes to his. He's looking directly at her, his own smile adorning his face – such a rare expression for him to wear, but one that has her heart racing whenever it’s there.

"Please keep yourself out of trouble from now on,” she says. “For my own sanity."

"I don't know," Zuko hums. "I quite enjoyed hearing you yell my name out like that – but I suppose there's other ways to make you do the same thing without getting myself hurt."

Hana's eyes widen. Zuko slowly leans forward as if he was asking permission. Her brain is racing. What happened? What has suddenly switched to make him say such a thing? Was she going to let him? There’s so many reasons not to let him, but at this moment, Hana can’t think of any of them.

The way he leans in so slowly is suddenly driving her crazy, and before she can stop herself, she is winding her hands in the fabric of his robes and tugging him towards her with a gentle tug. He stumbles slightly, catching himself on one hand to avoid crushing her. His other hand curls around her middle, gently lowering Hana onto her back in the grass so he hovers over her. His lips press against hers, his body even closer. Everything is ablaze. In that moment they both forget about the world around them as they relish in each other's presence. And it feels so nice after wasting so much time dancing around one another advances.

But he is here now. Hana has him. Her hands are tangled in his hair. She can see down the low neck of his shirt, and doesn't waste a single moment in letting one hand fall from the back of his neck to travel down and run along his collar bones.

He sighs against the sudden touch, his grip tightening on her waist to draw her closer to him. She obliges, wanting nothing more than to feel his body pressed against hers at last.

The kiss is broken only when they need air.

Her head falls back against the grass, a pant escaping her that Zuko mimics as he stares down into her yellow eyes. She wants to pull him back towards her, savor this moment of peace once again. He looks so ethereal right now, so unlike the Zuko he usually puts on – and it isn't necessarily a bad thing. His hair is disheveled, his lips swollen in a way that Hana knows would get him a warning if they were back at the Fire Nation palace.

She smiles up at him. He smiles back.

"Well, Prince Zuko-"

"No," he says, stopping her in her tracks. He let his forehead drop forward until it rests against hers. "Not Prince Zuko. Say my name properly."

Hana inhales deeply, winds her arms around his neck and whispers his name, slowly and deeply, into his ear. He closes his eyes, shudders and presses a feather light kiss to the space just below her ear, sealing the moment forever.


	15. The New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They laugh, but when the sound dies, they end up taking more time studying each other’s eyes than the stars above. Hana reaches out, snaking her hand under his waist and pulling herself into his warmth before meeting his lips with hers in a kiss that says a million words.
> 
> I want you. I need you. I love you. I believe in you. I support you. I know you. I trust you.

> “Everyone wants the fairy tale, but don’t forget there are dragons in those stories.”
> 
> ― R.Queen, Darkchylde

  
  


Hana can't believe how big their new house is. The kitchen and living room are separate rooms. They each have their own room, and their own bathroom. Hana had never had her own bathroom in her entire life. She’s beginning to think that living a life as a fugitive isn't all that bad if she has her own private bathroom. 

She knows she found her dream room when she walks into a smaller bedroom towards the back of the house. Her eyes immediately focus on the large glass doors that take up most of the farthest wall. Those doors lead to a balcony that looks over the city, and eventually the ocean. The rest of the room isn't bad either. The walls are a forest green, the bed frame looks like it's made from thick tree branches with a canopy net over it. The sheets, pillows, and blankets are a dark shade of green.

"How is it that you always end up finding the best stuff?" Hana turns to find Zuko watching her from the entrance. A playful pout pulling at his lips.

She finds herself smirking as she walks over to him. "Well it's not my fault you were too slow picking a room," she teases and pokes his chest. "Plus, you act like you won't be sleeping in here with me."

A duplicate smirk appears on his face. "Sure, sleeping." There’s a spark that flashes in his eyes.

Hana leans into him and wraps her hands behind his neck. "Yes, sleeping... and only sleeping. Anything else and I will throw you off the balcony." He laughs before leaning down for a kiss, or two, or three.

* * *

Every morning seems like a dream when Hana wakes up. Sunrises paint the room in golden hues and the body that seems to occupy her bed almost every night keeps the confined area so warm that she wishes she could never leave. Those are how the days pass. Lazy mornings and heated nights in which two bodies would press into each other like the one would disappear at any moment. And when morning arrives, giggles and hushed words fill up the empty spaces until the late hours of the afternoon when steam from teacups and a deep laugh replace the latter.

That particular morning Hana takes a final glance at the prince who's tangled in dark green bed sheets before she exits the room. She found that this has quickly become a new habit. Checking to see a dark shock of shaggy hair to make sure it’s real. That all of it is real. She finds Iroh cooking in the kitchen. He smiles at her and without any words shared between them, he hands her a bowl full of food.

"Is this jook?" She says cheerfully as takes a deep breath. "I haven’t had jook since I left home."

She takes a sip of jook as Iroh takes a seat next to her, a look of content resting on his face that Hana is almost positive mirrors hers. As she continues with her breakfast, she lets her eyes wander around the room and out the wide window in front of her. People dressed in expensive looking clothing walk down the street. A relaxed sigh leaves her mouth. If you were to tell Hana that her life could be like this one day, she wouldn't believe it. Even now, she wonders if this is what it was like for Zuko living in the palace.

A sleepy Zuko walks into the kitchen, his eyes barely open and mouth opened wide in a yawn. "What's that smell?" He asks as he meanders over to the stove.

Iroh's brows pull together and his voice is full of doubt. "It's jook. I'm not sure you'd like it."

Zuko bows over the pot, inhaling deeply. "Actually, it smells delicious. I'd love a bowl, Uncle," he replies pleasantly as scoops a few spoonfuls into a bowl.

Hana can't stop a smile from forming on her face. It's so easy. It's all so easy. Zuko's healthier and happy and kinder than she had ever seen him. Now she doesn't feel the need to be guarded or wary or unsure of Zuko or their relationship.

Iroh on the other hand, is slightly suspicious. "Now that your fever is gone, you seem different somehow."

Zuko answers cheerfully. "It's a new day. We've got a new apartment, new furniture, and today's the grand opening of your new tea shop. Things are looking up, Uncle."

Zuko moves towards the table and sits next to Hana as he finishes speaking. He kisses her cheek before sipping from the bowl. Her traitorous face heats up without her consent. She had gotten used to Zuko becoming more and more affectionate as the days passed but still without fail he had kept those moments between the two of them. Even just that small action with his uncle sitting not five feet away makes the air around her hot.

"Good morning." He smiles at her. The easy kind that only comes with true bliss.

She tries to hold down her own grin. "Who are you and what have you done with my prince?" Hana asks breathlessly. 

The smiles on their faces must have been contagious because soon enough Iroh had one of his own. They are so much in their own little world that they don't even notice when the old man gets up, collects their dishes and leaves.

Zuko wraps a hand around Hana's, claiming her full attention. "I was wondering if you would like to do something with me tonight?"

"Are you asking me on a date, your highness?" She asks.

Finally his antics catch up with him and his face lights up with a red tone. He buried his face in his shoulder and squeezed her hand. "I- I guess I am."

Hana bursts into joyous laughter, but the boy sitting across from her is still sitting in his own embarrassment. Once she quiets down, she reaches out to run her fingers through his hair while also prying his face out from his shoulder. Then, only when he's finally looking at her again does she curl her fingers around his neck to pull him in for a light kiss. "Yes, I really would."

The genuine smile that crosses his face is stunning. He brings her hand up to his mouth to place a chaste kiss on her skin. "I want to leave right after we close the tea shop, if you're okay with that?"

Hana squeezes his hand. "That sounds perfect."

Zuko nods frantically and kisses her hands a few more times before racing off towards the back of the house probably to put together that brain of his was planning.

The high-pitched screams that leave Hana's mouth is only a quarter of the happiness she felt.

* * *

The rest of the day at the tea shop is filled with chatty customers, the smell of tea leaves and the occasional hidden touch from Zuko or Hana to the other. The seconds seemed like hours as Hana waited for this 'date' that the Fire Prince was planning. She even found herself dreaming about what he could possibly have set up and as a result may have spilled a tea pot or two.

Finally, when the hour comes Hana steps out the back door of the tea house and her gaze finds the prince easily leaning against the adjacent wall. As soon as the door clicks shut his head turns towards her and the corners of his mouth turn up. She takes a few steps towards him and takes his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Are you ready?" He asks, rubbing circles with his thumb on the back of her hand.

Hana squeezed his hand. "I think I can take whatever you have planned, Your Highness."

Zuko smirks and pulls her around the building to the front and down the streets of the market towards their home. He ushers her inside and leads her into the back room. Laid before them was the sheets from their bed strung up to create a cocoon surrounding the balcony and in the center was a little straw picnic basket.

Hana takes a few steps inside. "Is this… a picnic in our room?" She asks, one corner of her mouth pulled upward. While her tone may seem mocking, inside her heart is pounding. This might be the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her.

"I thought we could sit and watch the sunset together." The tops of his cheeks turn a slight pink color that Hana can't tell is from the setting sun or not.

She reaches over and pulls his lips to meet hers for a soft kiss. "You're right. This is perfect."

Relief washes over his face before he reaches for the basket and opens it. He pulls out a lavender incense and a holder, he lights it between his fingers. It has been so long since either or them had fire-bended that she forgot how beautiful it looked. After he places it in the holder, he pulls out a bowl of diced fruits, some soft bread, and a chunk of soft cheese—setting it all out in front of them.

He turns his head to Hana with a knowing grin. "I know you like fruit and cheese over meat. I had Uncle help me put it all together."

Hana is shocked for a moment as the little details the prince had picked up about her. All of a sudden, she feels bad for how little she actually knows about him.

"Hey," she says and Zuko lazily turns his head to look at her. "What's your favorite color?" Stupid question, she knows, but it's truly the only think she thought to say.

"Orange, it reminds me of the sun," he says as he passes her a piece of bread and cheese. "What's yours?"

"Gold," she answers. "Or baby pink. We used to dress my sisters up in pink a lot when they were babies. They hate it now but whenever I see that color anywhere I end up thinking about them."

Hana smiles to herself thinking about her kid sisters. There's a strange feeling that washes over Zuko when he hears her speak about the little girls.

"Do you want kids?"

That question turns her around completely. She looks at him, thinking he might not mean the question, but all she gets is a look of pure seriousness. Hana pops another mandarin slice into her mouth while she thinks over her answer.

"I think I do. I mean, I love my sisters with everything in me and I've helped raise them so I think I would be a good mother. But I think I'd have to find someone truly amazing. I can't have just someone mediocre to be half of my children so if I find that someone then, yeah, I think I will want children."

Zuko nods and thinks over her answer before speaking again.

"I've been thinking-"

"Oh that's dangerous," Hana cuts him off. This makes the boy release a breathy laugh and faux punch her arm.

"Seriously. I've been thinking that I want to stay here. In Ba Sing Sa. With you."

He lets his response hang in the air between them and Hana processes his words. "Oh," she says. "Oh. But Zuko, what about the Avatar? What about the Fire Nation? Our home."

"There's no saving that place-"

"And you won't know that until you try. I'll be the first to say that this has been amazing but we've also been majorly slacking off on the whole reason we're out here. I would like to know if our home can be redeemed."

Zuko shakes his head. "And if it can't?"

"And if it can?"

"I guess we'll figure it out then but I don't want to hope anymore. What if my family is already too powerful to stop?"

"Then we'll come back here." She takes his face in both of her hands. "And live our lives as non-bending tea shop owners if you want but I want to know first if me, and my family, can go back home."

A small smile lights up his entire face. "You know, you really are a great girlfriend."

She's surprised for a moment, but she recovers with a gratified grin. Zuko moves closer to her, draping his arm around Hana's shoulders. The two teens gaze out at the view before them as the sun begins to set in peaceful silence.

The darkening sky is filled with shades of red, orange, yellow, and pink. Large puffy clouds dot the sky and slowly dim as the light fades. The stars are shining bright tonight and the two lie next to each other pointing out constellations. Perseus, Gemini, Canis Major and Minor.

"And this one right here; that's Orion. It's my favorite one." She points it out for him. "He's easy to find because of the three stars that make up his belt. See?"

After a short time where he doesn't respond, Hana turns her head to face Zuko. Only to find him already looking at her. He reaches out his hand to caress her cheek. "You put the stars to shame. You burn brighter than all of them." He pauses to move closer and whisper directly in her ear. "The only star I could care about in this whole damn world is you." She feels her heart beat faster at his words. Never in a million years did Hana think she'd ever hear him say something like that.

She leans over and kisses him gently. "You have to stop with those cheesy lines before my ego grows to your size. One of us has to be the humble one." She whispers when she pulls away.

They laugh, but when the sound dies, they end up taking more time studying each other’s eyes than the stars above. Hana reaches out, snaking her hand under his waist and pulling herself into his warmth before meeting his lips with hers in a kiss that says a million words.

_I want you._

_I need you._

_I love you._

_I believe in you._

_I support you._

_I know you._

_I trust you._

* * *

One by one, the couple falls asleep. And even before, neither spoke and instead reveled in their shared silence. Honestly, it was probably the longest time they'd ever spent together without talking as they just enjoyed the silent presence of each other. They don’t hear the soft knocking on the door or the creak as Iroh checks in on them.

He’s conflicted when he sees the scene before him, but he still ends up walking to them and shaking them awake.

"I didn't mean to intrude on your date, but I have news." He's donning a huge smile as they sit up and rub sleep from their eyes. "We've been invited to serve tea to the Earth King."

Hana blinks, and shakes her head to make sure she isn’t still asleep. "Woah, really? That’s amazing."

"Congratulations, Uncle." Zuko gives his uncle a sleep smile.

"Come on, the night is still young, let us have some tea to celebrate." He motions for them to follow.

Hana stretches, her muscles tense from falling asleep on the hard stone. "Can we have the one with the lemon and cinnamon that you made a couple of weeks ago?" 

Iroh chuckles and nods before leaving them alone once more.

The two teens exhale, a little mad to be awake, but more glad to spend more time with each other. Zuko leans over and places a kiss on her temple. "Thanks for coming long with me on my stupid, crazy plans."

Hana hasn't been able to get rid of the smile on her face for hours and it isn't leaving now. "Stupid, no. Crazy, yes. And thank you for making it the best date I've been on." She trails her fingers up his arm. "Also, the only date I've ever had."

He releases a breath. "I wish I could say the same. Not the best part," he backtracks. "Because it was, the best date I've been on too. But the one date."

"Oh, Your Highness, such a playboy. Who was it? Some maid in the castle? Or a high-lady?"

Zuko scoffed, wrapping his arms back around her waist. "Nothing like that. She was just some girl who was my sister's friend that used to come to the castle when I was a child. She was always hanging around me, but I never saw much in her. She's with my sister now, hunting for my head."

"How romantic?" She jokes. "You sure she's not going to whisk you away from me?"

Even though she's completely joking, Zuko looks at Hana with nothing but total seriousness in his eyes. "Never." His reply takes her breath away. "No one could cause no one is you."

The too true answer is too much for Hana even after the night they'd just shared. She stands and reaches out her hand for him. "Come on, let's go get some tea."


	16. The Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What am I doing? What about you? Siding with someone who doesn't love you, doesn't care for you," she yells at him.
> 
> Zuko stares at her, his disbelief turning into shock, a deep blush crawling up his face from his neck. "You love me?" He asks.
> 
> Hana's composure wavers for only a moment. "It doesn't matter what I feel now, only that you're now the person in my way from what I need to do."

> "If you ignore the dragon, it will eat you. If you defy the dragon it will overpower you. But if you ride the dragon, you will take advantage of its strength and power."
> 
> \- Chinese Proverb

  
  


The sun is already peeking through the large window when Hana opens her eyes. She stretches her body, fingertips grazing the wall behind her. She lets her head fall to the side to find the Prince of the Fire Nation resting his head in his arms, eyes on her.

"Were you watching me sleep?"

"I might have," Zuko answers, the tops of his cheeks dusted pink.

"You know, some people would find that creepy," Hana points out with a smirk.

He arches his eyebrow. "And do you?"

"Unfortunately I don't." She rolls her eyes before burying her face in her hands. "I've become one of those girls who likes waking up to someone watching her."

"Good." He runs a hand through her hair. "Because I think I could get used to this." He wraps his arms around her middle and pulls Hana on top of him. She can't stop the giggle that leaves her mouth.

"You have horrible bedhead," she sighs, putting down his cowlicks with her hands.

Zuko smiles before kissing her; a sweet, languid, long kiss. "And you have excruciating morning breath." The girl silently curses to herself for becoming a girl who blushes at words that aren't even explicitly romantic or even kind.

She reaches up to stroke his cheek, her thumb traveling in between his scar and skin, and he wraps an arm around her waist tightly. He leans up and peppers her face with small kisses, his lips barely touching her skin before moving to her forehead. Her cheek. Her nose. Eyelids, temple, and then finally her lips. 

Yes, she could definitely get used to this.

There's a soft knock at the door and Hana rolls off of the prince just as Iroh opens the door. He chuckles to himself as he takes in their appearance, all messy hair and red-faced.

"Ah, to be young and in love. No matter, you two need to get ready. We will be leaving shortly." He whistles as he leaves, purposefully leaving the door an inch open behind him.

As soon as Iroh's footsteps fade farther into the house, Hana and Zuko turn to look at each other before bursting into joyous laughter. Zuko grabs her hand and begins lifting her out of bed. "We better start getting ready, unless you want him to come back in here." 

Hana ends up wearing the dress Zuko bought for her on their first day in the city.

\---

"Many times, I imagined myself here, at the threshold of the palace. But I always thought I would be here as a conqueror...instead, we are the Earth King's personal guests, here to serve him tea. Destiny is a funny thing."

Zuko gazes down at Hana before lacing their fingers together. "It sure is, Uncle."

She breathes out, relaxed amidst the chaos that they were in the middle of. There was a Dai Li at every corner and servants walked in and out of the castle's main and sides gates alike. A tall man dressed in different shades of green, meets the three at the door. He orders them to follow him and speaks cheerfully as he leads them down a hallway.

"The King will be here shortly." He turns on his heel and leaves.

The three kneel beside the table in the center of the room and Iroh begins setting up his tea display. As soon as everything is prepared, they sit, watch the water boil and wait.

And wait.

And wait.

All of this waiting rakes up Hana's anxiety. She's drumming her fingers against her leg in anticipation. Iroh seems less nervous than his younger companions as he pours a cup of tea for the continually late Earth King.

"What's taking so long?" Zuko asks, suspicion dripping in his words.

Iroh tries to calm his nephew down with his easy demeanor. "Maybe the Earth King overslept."

The air in the room shifts into something more uncomfortable as a dozen Dai Li make an entrance and surround them. 

"Something's not right." Zuko whispers while his eyes shift around us.

The voice that carries into the room makes Hana freeze. She hasn't heard this voice many times in her life but it has traumatized her enough that she can never forget it. Because the last time she heard it, the body attached dropped a building on her.

"It's tea time," Azula says mockingly.

Zuko jumps to his feet at the sound of his sister's voice. He takes a step towards her but the Dai Li surrounding them brought up their weapons, ready to attack Zuko when his sister snaps her fingers.

"Have you met the Dai Li? They're earthbenders." She grins darkly. "But they have a killer instinct that is so firebender, I just love it!"

The whole room seems to tense except for Iroh, who takes the cup he poured and stands up. "Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname the 'Dragon of the West'?" He walks in front of the teenagers, no one in the room risking to make a move.

Azula scoffs before mocking disinterest by checking her nails. "I'm not interested in a lengthy anecdote, Uncle."

"It's more of a demonstration really." Iroh takes a sip of his tea.

Zuko looks at Hana and smirks at her before grabbing her hand. Pulling her to his chest, he ducks behind Iroh just as the ex-general opens his mouth and breathes out a powerful torrent of fire at the Dai Li, like a dragon. The soldiers lift their gloved hands to shield themselves.

Zuko tears down a wall with his own fire blast and begins running down the hall, pulling Hana along. Iroh quickly follows after, sending one more breath of fire at the Dai Li before catching up. Hana glances back just as two Dai Li jump through the make-shift hole in the wall and fire small pieces of their rock gloves like bullets with swift thrusts of their hands. She twists her free wrist and sends her own fire blasts at the rock bullets, disintegrating them before they can even get close.

She's suddenly so glad that all that time not firebending hasn't put her out of practice.

Zuko lets go of Hana's hand as they stop at a dead end. Iroh expels a bolt of lightning, easily breaking through the wall before jumping out of the castle. He can't stop the scream that rips through his throat as he tumbles through the air. He lands on bushes and dirt, twigs and branches ripping through their clothing and scratching up their skin as he lands on the ground.

Iroh grunts in pain, rubbing his head, as he looks up at the two visibly scared teens standing in between a three story drop or the Dai Li and Azula. "Come on," he shouts. "You'll be fine."

Hana looks over to the prince and nods her head. "We have to go," she says as more of a question than a statement.

The Fire Prince shakes his head. "No. I'm tired of running. It's time I faced Azula!" He says, loud enough for his uncle to hear. He takes Hana's hands in his. "You have to go though, go to safety with my uncle."

"No, I won't-"

"This isn't your fight-"

"Yes it is," Hana says in a low voice. "Don't you see? You jump, I jump. You stay, I stay. Remember, I won't let you push me away anymore."

This brings a smile to Zuko's face. "You're so dumb."

Hana lowers her forehead to his. "Yes, but I'm your dummy. So it's your problem now."

A faint clapping is coming from behind the two and Zuko instinctively moves in front of Hana. "Look at this," Azula growls. "My big brother, finding love? What a joke. You're so dramatic. What are you going to do, challenge me to an Agni Kai?"

The prince takes a step towards his sister. "Yes. I challenge you!"

Azula's smile is pure mockery. "No thanks."

The prince raises both of his hands, summoning a large ball of flames. He leans forward, pushing it at his sister but Azula doesn't bat an eye as she watches two Dai Li step between her and the attack. They raise a large, rectangular tile from the floor, easily blocking the large fire blast. 

Both soldiers fling their stone gloves at Zuko and Hana's feet, trapping them to the floor. The prince stumbles forward and places a hand on the floor to catch his fall. Both struggle in vain to pull themselves free.

Azula turns her back to them and begins walking away, calling over her shoulder. "Get them out of my sight and bring them to the catacombs."

Two of Dai Li pin their arms behind their backs and force them through the palace. They drag the two Fire Nation fugitives down hallway after hallway until stopping in front of a circular door. The Dai Li opens the door leading into a dimly lit room.

The Dai Li calls out. "You've got company."

Then he shoves them forward and they tumble down a ramp to the bottom, Hana landing on top of Zuko. She pushes herself off of him and when her eyes adjust, she finds that they've landed in a cave lit by glowing green crystals.

She hears a voice call out the prince's name and she turns over to see the girl who was with the Avatar all that time ago. The one who tried to heal her.

Zuko’s expression turns from amazement to loathing. She moves onto her knees and stares back at Katara as the Dai Li seals the entrance. The waterbender walks away from them and begins pacing.

A hand crawls up Hana's back and she turns to see Prince Zuko with his pained expression. She leans into his touch.

"Are you okay? Didn't get too beat up?" She asks.

He shakes his head. "Mostly just my pride."

"Well that's just as dangerous to your health."

This gets a chuckle out of the prince. The girl continues to pace back and forth until she turns to the two firebenders.

"I’ve got it. This is a trap. So when Aang shows up to rescue me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches." Zuko turns to look at Katara and sees that her mouth is set in a growl and her hands balled into fists.

Hana leaves Zuko to defend himself but he chooses to say nothing and turns back around.

This doesn't phase Katara as she continues berating him. "You're a terrible person, you know that? Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world's last hope for peace! But what do you care about? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood."

The prince becomes defensive and Hana is glad he has finally decided to speak up because if he didn't, she was going to for him. "You don't know what you're talking about."

She grows angrier, her tone rising. "I don't? How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through. Me personally... The Fire Nation took my mother away from me." 

Hana can hear the pain clear in her voice but that doesn't douse the fire that has been growing inside of her. And the inner turmoil she sees raging inside of the prince adds coal to it. He opens his mouth to speak but she has beaten him to it.

"You’re Katara, aren’t you?" Hana asks. She knows that there is nothing but indifference in her face but she cannot bring herself to feel sorry for the girl before her.

The girl straightens before she answers. "Yes."

"Look," she begins. "I'm sorry, but you are not the only one to have lost something because of this war. If you think we haven't just because we're firebenders, then you are as ignorant as the people who have caused it."

The waterbender stands straight and walks toward Hana, fully prepared to chew her out for her comment before shutting her mouth and looking down shamefully. "I'm sorry. I know that I just- I'm sorry I yelled at you before."

Hana looks away from her so Zuko takes the lead and shrugs. "It doesn't matter. You have lost your mother, as have I and we have lost our home. We may be more similar than we think."

"It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face, prince."

"My face. I see." Zuko turns away and places a hand to his scar.

Katara is instantly regretful. "No, no, that's not what I meant." She starts to reach out but Hana is already by Zuko's side, her fingers crawling up his arm to rest on his shoulder.

"It's okay. I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."

Hana leans her head against Zuko's shoulder and he lets out a deep breath, resting his cheek against her hair. He lifts a hand to his face and rubs the skin between his scar and flesh.

"Maybe you could be free of it," Katara says and the prince feels a glimmer of hope in his heart as he turns back to Katara.

"What?" He almost chokes on the word.

"I have healing abilities."

He sighs, feeling that hope slip away. "It's a scar. It can't be healed."

Katara reaches under her shirt and lifts up a vial connected to a chain. "This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I have been saving it for something important." She walks up to the prince and stands in front of kneeling teens. "I don't know if it would work, but..."

Zuko stares at her for a moment, looking back at Hana who just offers him a small smile and a nod, before closing his eyes and silently accepting her offer. Katara places her hand on the prince's scar to examine it. Her touching the scar makes Zuko uncomfortable. Suddenly he realizes the only person that he feels comfortable with touching it is Hana.

Before Katara can do anything else, one of the walls surrounding them collapses. The air clears to reveal the Avatar running into the tunnel with Iroh.

Hana's grip on Zuko's shoulder tightens as Katara calls out to her friend. "Aang, I knew you would come."

Zuko looks back to Hana who is beaming at him, but doesn't feel the same elation he can see on her face."Uncle, I don't understand. What are you two doing with the Avatar?"

Aang snaps at him. "Saving you, that's what."

Zuko snarls at Aang and tries to lunge at him, but Iroh grabs him and Hana places her hands against his chest to prevent him from causing a fight.

"Zuko, it's time we talked." Iroh turns to Aang and Katara. "Go help your other friends. I'll catch up with you."

Aang clasps his hands and bows respectfully to Iroh before running back through the hole in the cave with Katara slowly following after him. She turns her head and takes one last sad glimpse at Zuko before exiting. Zuko turns his head away from his uncle.

"Why Uncle?" Hurt clear in his tone.

"You are not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good," Iroh says.

"He's right, Zuko. I know you have good inside you. I've witnessed it firsthand," Hana says. "Remember what you said. You and me. All the way, no matter what happens."

Zuko shuts his eyes, absorbing the words from the two people he's closest to. Before he can process it fully, he is startled by a violent quake. A trail of crystals shoot out of the ground until they reach Iroh and Hana, effectively trapping them in a clear gem. Zuko readies himself for an attack as Azula and two Dai Li soldiers slide down from the tunnel the teens had originally entered through. Azula advances towards her brother until he's the only thing separating the prince and his companions.

"I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle, but Zuko, Prince Zuko... You're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you?" Azula asks. She tilts her head and pushes out her bottom lip in a pout.

"Release them immediately!" Zuko demands.

"It's not too late for you Zuko. You can still redeem yourself." She continues, ignoring his demand entirely.

Iroh yells to his nephew from his crystal prison. "The kind of redemption she offers is not for you."

"Why don't you let him decide, Uncle?" She barks. "I need you Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day. This glorious day in Fire Nation history. And the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have your father's love. You will have everything you want." 

She sounds so convincing that it terrifies Hana. Not for her sake, no. But because she can feel in the deepest part of her that Zuko would believe her.

Iroh raises his voice. "Zuko, I am begging you, look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want."

Zuko takes a step towards his sister.

"Zuko, don't do it. Please it's not what you want, it's not who you are." Hana finally finds her voice.

"How do you know what I want," Zuko screams, his hands pulling at his hair.

"Because I know who you are, Zuko," Hana says, her voice cracking.

"I'm sorry Hana," he whispers.

She watches as he crosses the room towards Azula. Hurt runs through her veins and manifests in flames that surround her body like a funnel, breaking the crystal casing trapping her and Iroh. When she emerges from the funnel, Azula is already fighting the Avatar and the waterbender. Flames engulfed her fists and crawl up her arms. From behind the prince, Hana sends a fire blast towards Zuko's back, but he notices the attack and jumps over it.

"It's three against two now, I'd understand if you'd want to forfeit this fight," she screams, glancing between Zuko and Azula. "Katara, Aang I hope you'll let me fight with you."

"I don't care, but for now we've gotta get out of here," Katara says.

"Not so fast," Azula says, shooting fire at Katara and Aang.

While Katara and Aang are busy with Azula, Zuko turns towards Hana, the look of utter disbelief and hurt shrouding her face. A strange sting shots through Zuko's chest when he sees her. Hana claps her hands together before getting into a basic firebender fighting position. She places her feet firmly on the floor, her arms on either side of her body, still covered from hand to elbow in flames.

"Hana," Zuko says in a low voice, barely above the noise of the fight. "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing? What about you? Siding with someone who doesn't love you, doesn't care for you," she yells at him.

He stares at her, his disbelief turning into shock, a deep blush crawling up his face from his neck. "You love me?" He asks.

Hana's composure wavers for only a moment. "It doesn't matter what I feel now, only that you're now the person in my way from what I need to do."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that my people are monsters. They need to be stopped. _This war_ needs to be stopped and the Avatar is the only person who can stop it. I thought you were different from them, but I guess I was wrong. I guess I never knew you. I won't let you get in my way."

Hana screams and lets a wave of fire shoot towards Zuko. Even in this state he's faster than she and avoids her attack, but he doesn't counter her move. When he lands, he just stands in a defense position, waiting for her next attack.

"Aang!" Hana hears Katara yell.

She turns sharply around, halting her battle with Zuko to see Aang falling towards the ground. She glances over at Katara as she bends the water to get over to him, she grabs Hana as the wave engulfed Zuko.

She catches Aang, setting the three down on the ground. Hana looks over at Azula as she smirks in accomplishment. She takes in a breath, lighting crackling around her, before sending the bolt directly for them. Hana wraps her arms around the two, her back exposed to the lighting but it never comes. Hana peers up to see Iroh standing in front of them, redirecting the lighting away from the young benders.

"You three, get out of here," he yells, getting into a fighting stance.

"Iroh no," Hana says. "They'll take you prisoner."

"Aang's our priority," he says, kneeling down once more. "Get to your friends and leave."

Hana looks at Katara, terrified with tears of her own streaming down her face. In that moment, Hana sees how young she truly is. The way she held herself in a fight made her seem older, more confident, but in this moment she breaks that facade.

"Get out of here now!" Iroh yells.

Hana looks up to see a rope ladder fall from an opening in the ceiling of the cave. Above was the Avatar's bison and two others, the other boy Hana saw with the Avatar and the girl she met in the woods, leaning over the side. Hana pushes Katara, who is holding Aang, to run towards the ladder. She makes sure she's far enough on the ladder until she follows them. The ladder begins lifting up off the floor. Hana looks one more time at the boy she thought had changed and his sister.

She looks down at Iroh, who gives her a quick and curt nod before he starts to blast at the group that had him outnumbered. Hana climbs up the rest of the ladder, collapsing onto the animal's soft fur when she reaches it. She makes her way to the farthest point from the group, who is crowded around the Avatar as Katara begins to heal him, and stares at the city until it disappears from sight.


	17. The Awakening

> “Beware the darkness of dragons,
> 
> Beware the stalker of dreams,
> 
> Beware the talons of power and fire,
> 
> Beware one who is not what she seems.”
> 
> \- Tui T. Sutherland

The days since Hana left behind Zuko and Iroh in the Earth King's castle pass by too slow and too fast all at once. Since then the group Hana found herself travelling with has taken over a Fire Nation ship, and she’s just... coasting. She hasn't really slept or eaten or showered. It's just like when she pushed herself while watching a sick Zuko, but much much much worse. Everyone else on the ship seems to be scared of her. And she couldn't bring herself to blame them. They did all just watch the prince of her nation betray all of them horribly, and she does hail from a nation who is currently attacking everything in sight.

Hana can't remember a time where she felt this bad. Every breath is like a stab through her chest. Every time she closes her eyes she sees the same scarred face she would see every time she woke up. She tries to keep the last few days of Ba Sing Sa out of her head, but when she is left alone with only her thoughts, those same memories slam into her.

This leads her to spending a lot of her time out on the ship's deck surrounded by people who she doesn't trust and don't trust her.

She's currently leaning against the ship's railing, staring mindlessly into the ocean waves when she hears a meeker voice and the lemur sprint past her towards the ship's hull. She turns to see the Avatar, Aang as she has come to learn, picking the lemur off the ground.

"Twinkle-Toes, that's gotta be you," the blind earthbender Toph exclaims as she and his other friends run closer to him excitedly.

Hana can't see Katara's face, but can tell she's overwhelmed by joy just listening to her voice. "Aang, you're awake!"

"Are you sure?" Aang rubs his eyes. "I feel like I'm dreaming." 

Scanning the group of people surrounding the Avatar, it's easy to see why he could be confused. His friends and several other individuals who he has never met are decked out in firebender clothing. To anyone who would have just woken up from weeks in a coma would have thought all of his friends converted to the Fire Nation or had just stepped into another dimension.

"You're not dreaming. You're finally awake," Katara says.

Katara's brother, Sokka, who is also decked out in Fire Nation gear, walks up to Aang and gives him a quick hug. "Aang, good to see you back with the living, buddy."

Aang calls out to him before he begins to look very exhausted and confused and his eyelids droop slightly. He begins to sway as the earthbender Toph cries out. "Somebody catch him, he's gonna..."

The Avatar falls towards the deck of the ship but never touches the ground as Katara wraps her arms around his torso, keeping him upright. Suddenly, there's a flicker of a memory going off in Hana's brain. One with a sick prince and a gentle touch and warmth everywhere. Hana begins to feel seasick so she bids her goodbye to no one in particular before walking past her new group and taking refuge in her bedroom below deck.

* * *

Zuko and his group are about to head home, but before he can leave he has a nagging feeling in his chest that he needs something before they leave the city for good. He waves his sister off by telling her he was going to gather the few items from the apartment, which was true. But mainly, he wanted to be free of her watchful eyes. She hasn't brought up Hana again, but he knows she hasn't forgotten about her. 

And she was going to make sure he never forgot.

You see, Azula has been pushing Mai and her brother together ever since the golden-eyed firebender disappeared. Mai doesn't seem to mind, of course she doesn't, the general's daughter has been infatuated with the Fire Nation prince ever since childhood. Zuko, on the other hand, is not pleased with the idea. He's barely had time to process everything that has happened. He himself doesn't even know if the decision he made was the right one but it's too late for that now. His uncle is in prison and Hana is with the Avatar.

When the prince reaches the door to their house, he has to take a deep breath before entering. As he steps into what used to be a lively and warm place, he realizes it is now dead and cold. All the memories of Iroh and Hana hit him like a lightning strike to the chest. Her laughter took up every corner of the room, his uncle cooking at the stove, the smell of fragrant tea wafting into every room.

Zuko shakes his head, trying to clear his mind and walks into his room that he barely used. He collects his bag and starts packing it with only the essentials. With a soft click of the door, he steps out of his room. Every creak of the house is amplified with the utter silence.

The prince stands outside of his empty room for a heartbeat, trying to find the courage to put on foot in front of the other and leave but the warm glow of the sunlight filtering through another room catches his eye.

It's Hana's room. Every memory that the two firebenders spent in that room flashes in Zuko's mind. Every lazy morning. Every long, romantic night. Every whisper of a promise for more. Every kiss punctuated by something Zuko could only describe as love.

He knows he shouldn't go in there, but he can't stop himself as his body begins moving without his consent.

The pain in his chest intensifies when he pushes the door further open, taking in the scene. They had left the curtains and the balcony door open that morning. The room is a major contrast to the rest of the house. It's warm and content and almost instantly heals over the wound that has been festering in Zuko's chest since watching Hana leave him for good.

His eyes fall to the bed where two pieces of fabric break up the white bed sheets. When Zuko gets closer he realizes they’re the gloves that he gifted her on the first night they met. He picks them up and without much thought, pockets them before picking up her backpack.

He dumps the contents of her pack on the sheets. There's a chipped seashell that Zuko had gifted her as a joke on one of their dates, a few articles of clothing and a single photograph. Zuko flips the picture over to see it's a family portrait; Hana, her sisters Chunhua and Yu, and what looked to be her parents. It's an old photo, Zuko can only guess it's the last photo they took before fleeing from the Fire Nation. They're not posed, instead they seem to be messing with each other. Hana's mom places a kiss on Yu's cheek, her father ruffling Chunhua's hair while she pulls on his beard. And then there's Hana, seated in between all of them and captured throwing her head back in a boisterous laughter. It's a strange image to Zuko, so different from his own family.

He places the photo and the shell in his pack before taking in the house and the memories that come with it one last time. By this time tomorrow, the house will be cleaned out. By this time next week, another family will be living in it and making memories of their own without the smallest inkling that a fugitive firebender, the Fire Prince and his uncle once lived here in harmony.

With that though, Zuko turns on his heel and leaves the house behind him for good.

* * *

Once again, Hana has found herself listening to other people talk about her while she sits apart from them. She tried to make herself more comfortable in her quarters when she picked up on the arrival of three others in the room next to her. "Why are we on a Fire Nation ship? Why is everyone dressed this way?" It's the Avatar.

There's a female voice that flows in after his. Hana guesses it's the waterbender, Katara. "It was that firebender's decision. She volunteered to take over this whole ship."

That firebender. That's all Hana's been known for since she joined them. It's not like any of them had bothered to ask what her name was. It was all that firebender who was with Zuko. That firebender who seems off. That firebender we don't really trust.

"Really?" Hana hears the Avatar's voice, he sounds almost intrigued. "She's still here. I thought she would have left by now."

"Me too," the waterbender says. "To be honest with you, I don't know if I trust her. She was with Zuko, and now all of a sudden she changes sides. Seems a little suspicious to me."

"But she got us this ship," the Avatar says. "She wouldn't have gotten us this ship to camp out on if she was going to back-stab us."

"But she could have," Katara talks over the Avatar, sounding more annoyed than before. "She could have gotten this ship to woo us over so we could trust her only for her to hand you over to her precious little prince. Who knows? Maybe she's talking to him right now. You know how firebenders are."

Even having him described as a prince makes Hana's whole body hurt. She has done everything within her power to help them. Took over a Fire Nation ship. Got them all Fire Nation uniforms to disguise them. Literally risked her life countless times to make sure they had food to eat. And now this waterbender is saying she's doing it to betray them in the end. And all because she's a firebender.

Hana thinks of her sisters. The two little innocent girls she left behind in the Earth Nation village who also happen to be firebenders. But firebenders who would never hurt a fly. She doesn't want them to live in a world where they get judged just because of the element they bend.

And that's why she stays even when they don't trust her. For the future she wants her little sisters to have. For the future she wants her unborn children to have. For the future she wants to have.

"Maybe if I go talk to her," she hears the Avatar say before there's some squeaking. Most likely the Avatar getting out of bed.

"You need to take it easy, okay? You got hurt pretty bad." Katara tells him. The squeaking is louder as she probably pushes him back onto the bed. "I like your hair."

"I have hair? How long was I out?" Hana surprises herself as she finds herself holding back a smile.

"A few weeks." She answers honestly.

The door opens and there's another pair of footsteps and a voice. "Everything okay?"

"We're fine, Dad," Katara says. "How is everyone else?"

"They're fine as well," Hadoka says. "The firebender girl disappeared after Aang awoke. We cannot find her. She might be communicating with the Fire Nation so keep an eye out for me."

Hana has finally had enough of people talking about her without her to defend herself. She gets up from her bed and leaves her room, slamming the door shut purposefully to make sure she lets everyone know where she is.

* * *

Zuko flies up out of bed, swinging his arm around to the other side of the bed to find it empty. It's been days but every night without fail the prince finds himself being woken up by a horrible nightmare. Some nights it's about failing his father. Other nights it's about failing his uncle but he's always seeing those endless gold eyes. The prince doesn't understand why she's so persistent.

"Because you love me," the wind whispers.

He growls as he flings himself out of bed and yanks on a robe. He forces her voice out of his head as he flees from his room and walks towards the deck of the ship that's taking the prince home.

Home. It's been so long since he's seen it. He walks over to the edge of the railing, gazing up at the full moon. Zuko can't help but wonder if it has changed at all in the three years he's been away. Or how his father would take the news that he hasn't come back with the Avatar. That in fact the Avatar was dead. Although he doubts that was even true. The waterbender girl could have used that special water on him.

Honestly, for the first time in three years Zuko couldn't care about where the Avatar was or what he was doing because all he could think about was her. Everything seemed to remind Zuko of her. The wind sounds like her laugh. The sun looks like her eyes. Even the black ocean below him looks like tendrils of her hair.

"Aren't you cold?" A voice whispers in his ear and for a moment Zuko thinks he'll turn around to see her. But when he does, it's Mai standing behind him

He shakes his head. "I've got a lot on my mind. It's been so long. Over three years since I was home. I wonder what's changed. I wonder how I've changed."

Mai sighs. "I just asked if you were cold. I didn't ask for your whole life story." She smiles and wraps her arms around the prince. "Stop worrying." There's a crawling sensation in Zuko's body where Mai is touching him and he wants to pull away from her but she pulls his face closer, pressing her lips to his. He feels nothing, nothing at all. Not the same sparkling, breath-taking excitement that came with every kiss from her. Mai lets go of Zuko and walks back inside the ship. He closes his eyes and takes a deep, soothing breath. Azula has basically forced the two together and the Fire Prince knew if he didn't go along with it willingly, his sister would suspect the closeness he shared with the other firebender.

And the last thing he needs is her life to be in danger.

He cares about Mai, but not in the same way he had, still does for her. Every time he kisses his sister's childhood friend, all he sees are flashes of gold. He shakes his head as he heads back towards his quarters.

* * *

Hana clears her head as she listens to the conversation around her. The group is seated in a circle as they bring the Avatar up to speed. She is apart from the group, her head resting against one of the columns and her arms crossed over her chest.

"After what happened in Ba Sing Se, we had to get you to safety. We flew back to Chameleon Bay, where we found my father and the other Water Tribe men," the waterbender's brother explains. "The Earth King decided he wanted to travel the world in disguise, so he set off alone." Hana remembers that day, watching the Earth King smile in nomad clothing before disappearing on his own. It was the first day she left the confinement of her room. 

"Soon, the bay was overrun with Fire Nation ships. Rather than fight them all, we captured a single ship and made it our disguise. Since then, we've been traveling west." He points to Chameleon Bay on the map and moves his finger across The Serpent's Pass. "We crossed through The Serpent's Pass a few days ago. We've seen a few Fire Nation ships, but none have bothered us."

"So, what now?" Aang questions, looking at his friends.

Hakoda speaks up. "We've been working on a modified version of the invasion plan."

Katara huffs, annoyance taking control over her voice. "It's Sokka's invasion plan."

"Yes, Sokka's plan." Hakoda looks back at Aang. "We won't be able to mount a massive invasion without the Earth King's armies, but the solar eclipse will still leave the Fire Nation vulnerable."

Sokka is more jubilant when he speaks again. "So we're planning a smaller invasion. Just a ragtag team of our friends and allies from around the Earth Kingdom. We already ran into Pipsqueak and The Duke." 

Pipsqueak smiles at Aang. "Good to see you again, Aang."

Sokka words become more exciting with each word he speaks. "And the best part is, the eclipse isn't even our biggest advantage." He leans down to whisper to the Avatar. "We have a secret. You!"

"Me?" Aang is confused.

Sokka nods with full confidence. "The whole world thinks you're dead!" He stands up and raises his arms triumphantly. "Isn't that great!"

Aang is completely shocked. "The world thinks I'm dead? How is that good news? That's terrible!" 

"No, it's great," Sokka argues. "It means the Fire Nation won't be hunting us anymore. And even better, they won't expect you on The Day of Black Sun."

"No, no, no, no, no. You have no idea. This is so messed up!" Aang whines.

A horn of another ship blares and opens her eyes to see a Fire Nation ship approaching.

"I'll handle this. The Avatar is back!" Aang announces with determination.

He grabs his glider staff and slams it on the floor, opening its wings, but it causes him to flinch in pain and clutch his side. Hana can see his friends are hesitant to stop him. Bearing through it, Aang grabs the glider's wings and prepares to take off. Almost instantly, Hana is off her feet and is grabbing the glider herself. 

"Hey, what are you-"

"I didn't risk everything for you to ruin it by making an appearance now." She's growling, anger bubbling up from the deepest parts of her. "Those men up ahead don't know that we’re not Fire Nation and you choosing to be the hero now will only put you and your friends lives in danger." 

The Avatar doesn't say anything but eventually he reluctantly folds his glider up with a frown.

"Good," she says, her anger simmering down just a little. "Now, you and your friends should hide. Having children on a Fire Nation ship is highly suspicious, even during war times."

Nobody makes a move which brings that simmering rage up to a boil, but the waterbenders father puts a hand on her shoulder. "Everyone just stay calm. Bato, Hana and I will take care of this," he asserts as he and Bato don their Fire Nation helmets.

Hana is shocked and frozen for a moment. She hasn't heard anyone on board use her given name yet, but having the older man call her something other than the Fire Nation girl has dispelled her anger completely.

Pipsqueak throws The Duke over Appa, who is laying in the cargo pit, letting a tarp unravel and cover the flying bison. Momo jumps into the pit with the beast before Aang and Toph crouch inside the stairway leading below the deck when Katara and Sokka join them.

Aang whispers to us. "I hate not being able to do anything."

"Hopefully, you won't need to." Toph replies.

"And she's scary," Aang says, shivering at the thought of the way she looked down at him and scolded him just as a mother would. "You would never think with the way she pulls back from everyone but that was terrifying."

"Told you," Katara whispers, her eyes digging into Hana's back.

The ships stop parallel to each other and a bridge lowers across the gap between the two. A Fire Nation officer crosses on their ship with two Fire Nation soldiers following closely behind. He walks up to Bato and Hakoda, who glance at each other. Hana, on the other hand, bows low to the officer once they step onto our ship with the two men following her lead.

The Fire Nation officer speaks to Hadoka, his eyes flicking over to Hana. "Commander, why are you off course? All Western Fleet ships are supposed to be moving toward Ba Sing Se to support the occupation."

Hakoda explains. "Actually, we're from the Eastern Fleet. We have orders to deliver some cargo."

"Ah, Eastern Fleet. Well, nice of Admiral Chan to let us know he was sending one of his ships our way."

"I am sure Admiral Chan meant no disrespect, sir," Bato replies.

The Fire Nation officer grumbles to himself. "I mean, how hard is it to write a quick note and send a hawk our way?"

"Next time, we'll send two hawks to be sure you get the message." Hakoda answers before he and the officer bow to each other and leave.

The lower officer leans into the admiral. "Sir... Admiral Chan has been on leave for two months at Ember Island."

"What? Why doesn't anyone ever tell me anything? Something's not right; they should have known that. I think this is a captured ship." He lowers his head and whispers to his officer. "Just stay quiet until we're safely across the ramp. Then we'll sink this ship."

"They know," Toph whispers before she thrusts her hand towards the floor, she grabs the metal and twists it. She bends a fissure in the metal leading all the way up to the bridge. It buckles, the officer and the soldiers lose their balance just as the bridge falls out from underneath them. Hana watches as they fall into the water below.

Katara runs out to the edge and bends a small mountain of water up between the ships. She turns in a circle and thrusts her arms forward, and the water slams into the side of the other ship, knocking it back several yards. The water is washing onto the enemy ship's deck on impact.

The group's Fire Nation ship begins to make its escape. Watching the other ship, Hana sees a rope ladder being tossed over the side of the Fire Nation ship to the officer and the soldiers floating in the sea, which the officer grabs and begins to climb.

A firebender ignites an oil covered rock loaded onto a catapult. The catapult is fired and the flaming ammo is flung into the air towards their ship. The ignited boulder hits the water, just missing the ship. The Fire Nation ship fires again at Hana and the group and the flaming boulder hits the hull. Everyone on the ship attempts to regain their balance as it tips.

Toph enters an earthbending stance. "Load the Toph!"

Pipsqueak heaves a big stone disc over his head. He sets the disc in front of Toph. She takes two steps forward, slamming her left foot into the floor and popping the disc into the air in front of her. Toph turns and shoves the stone disc with her palms, shooting it at the enemy ship.

The stone disc flying across the water towards the Fire Nation ship. It hits the catapult, demolishing it. Another catapult fires as Toph is launching another disc. The flaming boulder and the stone disc collide in the air and explode.

Aang attempts to run out and help in the battle, but Sokka grabs his shoulders, stopping him. Aang goes back to his hiding spot unhappily.

A ballista on the enemy Fire Nation ship is pointing downwards and firing. The chained, metal projectile shoots into the water and punctures the hull of their stolen ship. Hana is still at the edge of the deck looking down at the breach. She waves her arms upwards, pushing her palms down and exhales a long wave of fire. The water hisses as the intense heat hits it.

"I'm gonna give us some cover!" Hana yells before pointing towards Katara. "You, waterbender girl, get us out of here.” Katara clearly looks perturbed by being ordered around by Hana but presses her arms down anyways, pushing down the water between the two ships.

A cloud of steam forms and rises up. Hana keeps the fire going, producing more steam making the steam float behind the stolen ship and clouding the view.

Pipsqueak is standing by a load of stone discs. He drops the disc he is holding and runs away just before the fireball smashes into the pile of discs. Aang and Sokka who are still hiding are shaken by the last attack as the debris and smoke fly past the doorway.

"I can't just stand by and do nothing!" Aang rushes outside.

"Aang, no!" Sokka grabs Aang's staff. "You're still hurt, and you have to stay secret. Just let them handle it."

"Fine!" Aang angrily snatches his staff away from Sokka and storms off.

There is another explosion and the group is caught in a wave of smoke. Another fireball is fired from the enemy ship and it hits the back end of their ship's deck. Katara bends water up from below and throws it at the fire, extinguishing it.

Toph shouts down to her friends. "How we doing?"

"Things couldn't get much worse," Sokka replies, trying to keep his uneasiness out of his words. Just then, the giant serpent bursts from the water behind Sokka, towering over the ship and screeching. "The Universe just loves proving me wrong, doesn't it?"

"You make it so easy!" Toph answers him.

The serpent is about the strike when a fireball from the enemy ship strikes it in the head. It looks over into the direction that the attack came from before it dives into the water. The serpent reemerges and wraps its body around the other Fire Nation vessel.

Sokka is shocked to see the serpent attacking the other ship. "Thank you, The Universe!"

Hana stops the flames from hitting the water's surface and takes a few deep breaths as she watches the enemy ship disappear from view. When she turns around, she sees the group staring at her. No one dares to speak a word. She waits a hair's breadth before waving once and taking off down below deck.

"Good job," she says, not caring if they heard her or not.


	18. The Headband

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If you want to help them, you defeat Ozai," Hana finally speaks up, making everyone else in the cave turn to look at her. "You defeat Ozai, stop this war and maybe some of their fathers will come home so they don't have to take care of their mothers and their younger siblings. Maybe some of them will stop being displaced." Hana takes a seat on the opposite side of the cave but that doesn't make her presence any less big. "We are taught so harshly as children because we don't know if the day will come when we are called onto the battlefield. Our ruler would rather have young children fight for him than stop this war so if you want to change this place for the better then do your job, Avatar."

  
  


> “Let me tell you: the only way to get rid of dragons is to have one of your own.”
> 
> \- Evgeny Shvarts

  
  


Flying on the back of the Avatar's bison is much worse than being on the ship. At least on the ship Hana had her own place to run and hide when she needed to be alone. Here, there isn't a moment of peace away from the Avatar's group of freedom fighters. The earthbender, who has quickly become one of Hana's favorites, will not stop bugging the waterbender's brother, who won't stop telling everyone to shut up. "You don't know who could be listening," he constantly says. 

They are still bickering with each other when a patch of land catches Hana's eyes. "I think I see a cave below."

"Shhush... keep quiet!" Sokka snaps for the millionth time before Hana shots him a glare that could cut a tree down and he shuts his mouth. The Avatar brings his hands up and the cloud disperses. Sokka dismounts as they land and begins a furtive reconnaissance. "Great job with the cloud camo, but next time, let's disguise ourselves as the kind of cloud who knows how to keep its mouth shut."

Toph rolls her eyes. "Yeah, we wouldn't want a bird to hear us chatting up there and turn us in."

"Hey! We're in enemy territory. Those are enemy birds," he claims. He points upward to four of the 'enemy birds' that are perched on a rock just behind him. One hops down onto his head and squawks plaintively.

Hana breaks off from the group as they continue to laugh at their companion. Suddenly, he leaps over her head to ward off some entirely imaginary threat. Peering suspiciously about, he dashes into the cave.

She's not sure why but she has found herself to be more annoyed with this group of people than ever before. Truthfully, they aren't that much younger than she is but she feels like she is managing her two younger sisters again. And she'd rather be looking after them because then the looming threat of death wouldn't constantly be over her head.

"Well, this is it. This is how we'll be living until the invasion begins. Hiding in cave after cave... after cave... after cave." His head drops to his chest with a groan.

"We don't need to become cave people. What we need are some new clothes," Hana replies, brushing off lingering ash from her tattered Fire Nation clothes.

This seems to be the best news Sokka's heard all day. No, all month. "Yes, blending in is better than hiding out. If we get new Fire Nation disguises, we'll be just as safe as we would be hiding in a cave."

"Plus they have real food out there. Does anyone wanna sit in the dirt and eat cave-hoppers?" Toph punches the cave wall and several hoppers hop out. The lemur catches one and pops it in its mouth.

Sokka looks at Momo. "Looks like we got outvoted, sport. Let's get some new clothes."

The group ditches the cave and quickly travels to the laundromat. There is a large path that is easy to follow. After about ten minutes of walking, they find themselves hiding in some rocks close to a Fire Nation store. Several items of clothing are hung on lines outdoors, suspended over steam vents.

Aang looks over at us with apprehension. "I don't know about this. These clothes belong to somebody."

Hana doesn't even wait to hear him finish his sentence before she takes off for the clothing. Glancing over, she finds the laundry's lone attendant, who is stealing a nap in the doorway. She hopes he doesn't get into too much trouble but they need the clothes more than he does.

Once she has her arms full with stolen clothes, she walks back to the group before she is seen. They are all slack-jawed and wide-eyes. She only shrugs them off before handing out the clothing, catching a few meek thanks. When they make it back to the beach, they change. It's been three years since Hana's worn clothing of her nation and she's forgotten how pale the red cloth makes her look. But oddly, they make her feel comfortable. She goes to look for her gloves to slip on before she realizes she left them back in her home in Ba Sing Sae. The thought hits her like a ton of bricks. She shakes it off before walking back to the group.

Aang's back is facing her, tying the belt from his suit around his forehead to conceal his arrow. He turns around with a wide grin. "Ta-dah! Normal kid."

"I should probably wear shoes, but then I won't be able to see as well. Sorry shoes!" Toph sits down, she brings her knee up to her chest, pulling the shoe against her foot, popping out the sole. She stands up and evaluates her new customized footwear. "Finally, a stylish shoe for the blind earthbender."

"How do I look?" Katara asks from behind us.

The rest of the group seems smitten with her but Hana just points at her own neck. "Your necklace, you can't wear it unless you want a red flag around your neck that you're not from here."

Sokka turns to her, anger flashing in his features. "Hey, you have no right. That's from our mo-"

"No, she's right. It's pretty obviously water tribe, isn't it?" Reluctantly, she removes it and looks down at it sadly.

A sting of guilt runs through her. She walks over to the waterbender, places a hand on her shoulder but doesn't look her in the eye. "Come on, we have some money to get you a new necklace." Hana doesn't see it but a small smile flashes on Katara's face.

They walk into the nearby town, where Katara buys some new, more fire-themed neck ware and a few gold bands. Toph buys a new headband, Sokka gets a topknot clasp and Hana feels an easy smile across her face as she watches them bounce from shop to shop. It reminds her of the days she use to go into the city with her mother or father and do the same thing looking for just the right thing to get with the extra money they made. She'd look back at her parents and they'd smile that same easy smile as they look at their eldest daughter.

"I used to visit my friend Kuzon here a hundred years ago. So everyone just follow my lead and stay cool. Or as they say in the Fire Nation—'Stay flamin'!" Aang saunters out, with the group following in his wake.

"Or we could listen to the actual firebender who actually used to live here," Toph says, pointing to Hana.

A man is eating on the sidewalk and Aang waves to him as we walk by. "Greetings, my good Hotman!"

The man is taken aback. "Uh, hi. I guess?"

Sokka takes charge, leading the way to a butcher's shop and Aang scrunches up his face in disgust. "Oh, we're going to a meat place?"

"Come on, Aang. Everyone here eats meat. Even the meat!" Sokka indicates a nearby cow-hippo, greedily scavenging a pile of fly-blown fish.

Aang is unconvinced and looks away. "You guys go ahead. I'll just get some lettuce out of the garbage." Aang walks off.

Hana also leaves the group and walks down the market a bit more until she comes across a small tea shop. She's frozen to the spot for a moment, debating on entering or not, but inside there is an older woman with a kind smile on her face that beckons Hana inside. She does just that.

She takes a seat and asks the woman to bring her a cup of her best jasmine tea. As she waits she rests her head on her arms and closes her eyes. If she concentrates hard enough, she can picture that she's on break at Iroh's tea shop again. That is until she hears a particularly annoying voice loom over her.

"I never thought I'd see you so relaxed."

Hana picks her head up to see the waterbender's brother standing next to her, his arms crossed over his chest.

"What do you want?" She asks him, now resting her head in her hand.

"You disappeared quite suddenly, I was just checking to see if you were reporting us back to your commander or not. Or leave us to go back to your family."

She waves him off. "You don't have to worry about that. My family isn't anywhere near us and I already told you, I've got much more at risk than you do."

This causes Sokka to drop his arms at his sides. "Aren't you from here? Why wouldn't your family be around here?"

The kind woman comes back to serve Hana her pot of jasmine tea. She smiles at the woman and bows to her before gesturing to the empty seat in front of her. "Would you like to have some tea with me?"

Sokka seems to hesitate for a moment before taking a seat. Hana pours him some tea and they sit in silence just drinking until Hana decides to speak up. "My family fled from the Fire Nation when I was thirteen. We've been living in a village in the Earth Nation ever since." The boy is silent for a while afterwards, taking in the information that she has just laid out in front of him. She knows that she had probably just changed his whole perception of her but he shouldn't be this taken aback.

"Why did you run away?" He finally asks.

She shrugs. "My father saw something he didn't want to see. Something in the way our country was being run that made him not want to raise his family here, so he picked up all of his stuff and took off with us one night."

"But weren't you guys high-ups. We all saw you with the prince. No one would be with him unless you had some standing in the Fire Nation." Hana's teacup is at her lips when Sokka mentions the prince and she stills. She sets the cup down on the table as she decides how to answer him. She doesn't want to divulge her entire relationship with the Fire Nation prince.

"Not at all." She shakes her head. "My parents are merchants. We never made that much money so when we first ran I had to steal a ton of stuff just so we could get by." She actually chuckles at the memory of all the times she had to steal clothing or food to keep her family alive. "Clothing is pretty easy. Or at least it was when I was stealing smaller clothes."

"That makes sense why you could steal all that stuff so easily. But I don't see why you would be stealing any smaller clothes, you couldn't have been any younger than Katara."

Hana shakes her head again. "I have two younger sisters. They were nine when we ran so I was the one in charge when my parents left to make money."

Finally all of the tension leaves Sokka's shoulders. "You have sisters? Little sisters?" He says it like a question. Like the big bad firebender they've been traveling with this whole time could possibly love something other than herself. Especially not two little girls whose entire lives rested on Hana finding them food or shelter.

"They're the whole reason I'm out here." Hana leans back in her chair. "I love them dearly. We left when they were so little and they don't have many memories of this place, not as many as they should and I just want to bring them back here without the fear of a mad king ruling over them."

Then he just looks at her for a few moments before he finds the words to say to her again. "So you weren't lying when you said you were on our side?"

For the third time, Hana shakes her head but it's slow and long. "No. No, I'm not. I'm glad you finally saw that. What made you change your mind?"

Sokka smiles at her and it takes her back for a moment. No one has smiled at her this entire time, just looked at her with skepticism or fear. The change of pace is nice. Not that she would tell him that.

"Because I'm the oldest child who would do anything for his younger sibling." She nods her head and lets out a deep breath. It's nice to know that some finally believe her. "And," he continues, making Hana look up at him. "I've never seen you smile as much as you have when talking about them."

* * *

When dusk arrives, Sokka and Hana walk back to the campsite to find Katara pacing back and forth. When she sees her brother, she releases a long breath and begins to explain that the Avatar hasn't been back since this afternoon and they assumed he was with him. Then Sokka begins to worry with her and this continues for a few minutes until Aang returns.

Katara speaks first, pushing her brother to the side. "Where have you been? We've been worried sick!"

Toph turns to Hana with a smirk playing at her lips. "Watch, Sokka is about to lose it."

Aang is covered in burn marks but they don't seem to hurt him as he begins speaking. "I got invited to play with some kids after school."

Sokka jumps up, flummoxed. "After  _ what _ ?" Hana almost forgot how absurd he could be after talking with him that afternoon.

"I enrolled in a Fire Nation school, and I'm going back tomorrow," Aang explains as if it's the most logical response he could find.

"Enrolled in  _ what _ ?" Sokka collapses to the ground.

Toph turns to her again. "Told ya." The corner of her mouth pulls up.

Aang sits next to Toph by the fire and the waterbender follows him. "Aang, I'm trying to be mature and not immediately shoot down your idea. But it sounds... really terrible."

"Yeah, we got our outfits. What do you need to go to school for?" Toph asks.

"Every minute I'm in that classroom. I'm learning new things about the fire nation. I already have a picture of Fire Lord Ozai." He holds it up for them to see. "And here's one that I made out of noodles!"

Hana takes the photo from him as something squeezes her heart. The Avatar, although technically a hundred years old, is still physically the same age as her sisters and if they never ran, they'd be going to the same school. Making the same noodle art.

"Impressive, I admit. But I still think it's too dangerous." Sokka crosses his arms defiantly. "Especially since we have our own Fire Nation firebender who can teach you anything you could ever want."

Hana is surprised that he included her in their conversation. It seems that their conversation really did change his heart.

Aang lifts an eyebrow and crosses his own arms under his head. "I guess we'll never find out about the secret river then. It goes right to the Fire Lord's palace. We were supposed to learn about it in class tomorrow."

Sokka looks at Hana and she shrugs. "I don't know about any secret rivers."

"Well, I am a fan of secret rivers." Sokka thinks for a moment before relenting, "Fine, let's stay a few more days."

"Flamey-o, Hotman!" Aang runs off in excitement.

Hana sighs. "We still don't say that. It's slang from a hundred years ago. I don't think he knows we stopped talking like that." She stands up, stretching her back. "I'm going to bed," she informs them as she pulls her hair up off of her neck.

She curls up in one corner of the cave and without even trying, she begins thinking of her sisters. It might be because she's been missing them more and more or because she's talked about them more in one day than she has in weeks but memories of them come easy.

For the first night in many, Hana gets a good night's sleep.

* * *

Mai and Zuko are sitting on a blanket on top of a sheltered little plateau on the rim of the royal volcano, having a sunset picnic. It was her idea. As he's sitting here Zuko can't help but think of his last picnic. Though the dates are similar, this one lacks the luster and sparkle of the other one. He tries to shake the thought of her out of his head. He stares off into the sunset and in the red hues, he sees the dipping curves of the scales on her back.

The sound of Mai's voice takes Zuko's eyes off of the sky. "Orange is such an awful color."

A tread of annoyance curls through Zuko's body, but he forces himself to chuckle instead. "You're so beautiful when you hate the world." And she really is beautiful, but the prince keeps wanting to see golden eyes and a different face.

She looks up at him. "I don't hate you."

"I don't hate you, too." She leans up to kiss the prince and he meets her halfway. In the middle, he opens his eyes to look back at the horizon to see those dragon scales are gone.

The kiss is broken when Azula clears her throat. "Zuko, could I have a word with you?"

"Can't you see we're busy?" Truthfully, Zuko's glad she interrupted them but Mai pulls his mouth back to hers again and the chilling feelings unfolds inside the prince once again.

Azula scowls. "Oh, Mai... Ty Lee needs your help untangling her braid."

Mai finally pulls away. "Sounds pretty serious." She gets up and leaves, walking past Azula.

"So... I hear you've been to visit your Uncle Fatso in the prison tower," Azula snarks.

Zuko stands up and growls. "That guard told you."

Azula chuckles. "No, you did. Just now."

The prince sits back down, lowering his voice to a grumble. "Okay, you caught me. What is it that you want, Azula?"

"Actually, nothing. Believe it or not, I'm looking out for you. If people find out you've been to see Uncle, they'll think you're plotting with him. Just be careful, dum-dum." Her voice is sincere, like she really cares. Like she's the sister he remembers she used to be when they were children. Zuko looks up at her suspiciously as she walks off.

* * *

Sokka, Aang and Hana are sitting in the Headmaster's of the Fire Nation school's office because their little Avatar got himself into trouble. Sokka is wearing a fake mustache and beard to make himself appear older while Hana's hair is tied up in a bun and her stomach has been padded to mimic a pregnancy, though Hana still isn’t sure why they had to go this far. According to Sokka, she had to take the role as Aang's mother because she was the oldest.

The Headmaster sits across from them. "Thank you for coming, Mr. And Mrs..."

Sokka speaks in a deep voice. "Fire! Wang Fire. This is my wife, Sapphire."

Hana has to hold herself back from rolling her eyes. "Yes. Sapphire... Fire. It's nice to meet you," she says while holding her 'pregnant' stomach.

"Mr. and Mrs... Fire, your son has been enrolled here for two days, and he's already causing problems. He's argued with his history teacher, disrupted music class, and roughed up my star pupil," he says dubiously.

"My goodness! That doesn't sound like our Kuzon," Sokka replies with mock shock.

The Headmaster speaks indulgently. "That's what any father would say, sir. Nonetheless, you're forewarned. If he acts up one more time, I'll have him sent to reform school by which I mean the coal mines. Are we clear?"

"Don't you worry, Mr. Headmaster. I'll straighten this boy out somethin' fierce." Then Sokka gets in Aang's face. "Young man, as soon as we get home, you're gonna get the punishment of a lifetime!"

"That's what I like to hear," the Headmaster says with an air of subdued sadism.

The three rise and leave. The role of overbearing father figure seems to suit him but Hana can't for the life of her picture him as a father of any kind. They quickly leave the school and head back to the cave.

When the Avatar settles, Sokka doesn't let him rest. He's still bearded, as he bends over Aang to rant at him. "That settles it. No more school for you young man!" He straightens up and strokes his beard imperiously.

"I'm not ready to leave. I'm having fun for once, just being a normal kid. You don't know what it's like, Sokka. You get to be normal all the time," Aang complains. Toph laughs mockingly but Sokka still isn't budging as he continues. "Listen, guys, those kids at school are the future of the Fire Nation. If we wanna change this place for the better, we need to show them a little taste of freedom."

"If you want to help them, you defeat Ozai," Hana finally speaks up, making everyone else in the cave turn to look at her. "You defeat Ozai, stop this war and maybe some of their fathers will come home so they don't have to take care of their mothers and their younger siblings. Maybe some of them will stop being displaced." Hana takes a seat on the opposite side of the cave but that doesn't make her presence any less big. "We are taught so harshly as children because we don't know if the day will come when we are called onto the battlefield. Our ruler would rather have young children fight for him than stop this war so if you want to change this place for the better then do your job, Avatar."

* * *

"You're making a mistake." The wind tells him.

"No. I'm not."

"Mistake."

"Go away!" Zuko yells in his head.

Zuko pushes her voice away as he reaches a seedy industrial quarter in the Fire Nation. Smokestacks cloud the night sky and there is a small yard bisected by railroad tracks. A hood covers the prince's face as he walks into the middle of the yard. He hears a clunking noise before he sees the assassin come into the light.

"You're sure you weren't followed?" He asks the man twice his height. He nods his head once. "I've heard about you. They say you're good at what you do. And even better at keeping secrets. The Avatar's alive. I want you to find him. And end him." His voice is low and hard. He pauses. "But if you find he is with a black haired girl with golden eyes, no harm must come to her." The man tilts his head slightly before nodding and walking away.

"I thought you didn't care?" The wind whispers.

"I guess I do," the prince replies out loud, to no one in general, as he walks back in the direction of the palace.


	19. The Tale of the Painted Lady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She keeps walking until she reaches the edge of the wide cliff, far enough away to where no one would hear her. She looks out onto the land and water below her. The village below is still asleep, only a few individuals beginning to stir away to start their day. Above them, the sun is only starting to rise, painting the sky in pink and red and orange.
> 
> Orange, it reminds me of the sun. The words ring in her head, stealing the last bit of breath in her lungs.
> 
> Then, she screams.

  
  


> "I desired dragons with a profound desire. Of course, I in my timid body did not wish to have them in the neighborhood. But the world that contained even the imagination of Fafnir was richer and more beautiful, at whatever the cost of peril."
> 
> ― J. R. R. Tolkien,  _ On Fairy-Stories _

  
  


Remember when Hana thought nothing could be worse than riding on the back of the Avatar's bison. She was wrong. Riding on the back of the bison as he trudged through black sludge is by far the worst traveling experience she's been through. Even worse than being shoved into a plant jar and riding through the desert in the lap of a certain Fire Nation prince.

The waterbender's brother is fishing, well, more like trying to fish. Nothing has bitten yet and by the way Hana's stomach yells at her for food, she's sure they won't be eating tonight. She lays down on the back of the bison and tries to get some sleep to stave off the burning in her stomach, but the screams from the Avatar keep her from doing so.

"Momo!" Aang ducks underwater before the lemur sees him, resurfacing nearby. "Oh Momo!" He ducks again, but when he surfaces again, the lemur finally spots him. "Ah! You found me, buddy." It seems to finally dawn on Aang that he is swimming in toxic filth as he glances around.

He swiftly air-bends himself up into the saddle next to the rest of the group. "Hey guys, I think this river's polluted."

He bends the residual goop off himself, covering the rest of his friends in the process. Hana sits up and actually doesn't feel angry for once, only disgust. The Avatar apologizes then expels another blast of air and everyone's clean. 

Sokka with his fishing pole in hand, turns his head towards them. "Well, that explains why I can't catch a fish around here. Because normally my fishing skills are... off the hook! Get it? Like a fishing hook?"

"Too bad your skills aren't on the hook." Toph's joke is more successful with the group who all laugh, except Sokka, who continues to scowl.

"It looks like we'll need to go somewhere else to get food." Katara unrolls a long scroll of paper in front of her. "Assuming that'll fit into Sokka's master plan."

Sokka takes the end of the scroll into his hands, studying it intently. "It's doable. But that means only two bathrooms breaks today!"

"Hey, maybe we can get food there." Aang points to the little village that’s just visible down river.

Aang leads Appa into the air, covering the large beast with a cloud so he can find a place to make camp without being spotted. The ride is short, only lasting a minute before they land in a secluded spot in the nearby uplands. 

The group migrates towards the small village. Not even a minute later, they are standing on the cliffs that overlook the river, surveying the town below. The scenery looks vaguely familiar to Hana, like she's been in this village here before, but she can't quite put her finger on when she's been here or where she's seen it.

"I don't feel anything. Where is this village?" Toph asks, scrapping her feet along the ground.

Sokka points to the town but drops his finger after he remembers that the girl can't see anything. "It's in the middle of the river!"

"Sure is!" A man says. He's in a small boat that is making it's way down stream towards the group. "My name's Dock. Mind if I ask who you are?"

"We're from the Earth Nation colonies," Hana answers easily. The rest of the group seems to sigh with relief that someone else has taken it upon themselves to lie. She doesn't mind, lying is something that comes easy to her and they seem to be as good as lying as he was so she'll happily take the reins to keep their cover.

Dock looks impressed as he peers up at the group. "Wow... colonials! Hop on; I'll give you a ride into town."

They descend down the small ledge towards him before hopping into the boat and Dock proceeds towards the village.

"Why do you guys live on the river?" Katara scans the village growing into view.

"Because we're a fishing town. At least that's how it was before the factory moved in." Dock gestures to a large factory adorned with Fire Nation seals that’s visible through a gap in the tall cliffs. "Army makes their metal there. Moved in a few years ago and started gunking up our river. Now our little village is struggling to survive."

When the boat docks, Hana takes count of all the starving and poor villagers who can thank the Fire Army for their condition. There are as many people who look sick as there are starving and the houses all look as if they are going to collapse or fall into the sludgy water at any moment. The team hops off the boat and thanks the man for the ride before moving inwards.

Katara looks at the village people, sorrow etched into her face. "Look at this place. It's so sad. We have to do something to help."

Sokka waves his sister off. "We can't waste our time here! We have a bigger mission that we need to stay focused on. These people are on their own!"

The waterbender glares at him, irritation rolls off of her in waves. "These people are starving, but you turn your back on them?! How can you be so cold and heartless?"

"I'm not turning my back, I'm just being realistic! We can't go around helping every rinky-dink town we wander into. We'll be helping them all by taking out the Fire Lord!" Sokka’s slowly straightens until he’s towering over his sister.

Toph slaps her hand over his mouth. "Hey, loudmouth! Maybe we should be a little quieter when we talk about taking out the Fire Lord." She's whispering but Hana can still hear the threat in her voice.

Sokka rubs his arm. "Come on, Katara, be reasonable about this. You know our mission has to come first," he says quieter.

"I guess so," Katara replies reluctantly but her expression doesn't change.

"Let's just get what we need and go," the Avatar says, trying to get his team back on track.

The group approaches the counter of an outdoor market stall, staffed, to all appearances, by the same aged fisherman who gave them a lift into town.

"Hey, Dock. You work here too?" Sokka asks.

Dock looks at him with a crooked grin. "I'm not Dock, I'm Xu. Dock's my brother." 

The group stare at him baffled for a moment and Sokka opens his mouth to say something but Hana steps in between him and the merchant. "We don't have time for this. We'll just take the fish." He passes Hana a wrapped up fish, probably not suitable for eating but will make do for tonight. "Mind telling your brother we need a ride back to shore?"

Dock ducks beneath the counter; when he reappears, he is wearing his original headgear. "Hey, colonials. My brother says you need a lift."

As the group turns away to follow him, a little boy runs up to Katara. "Can you spare some food?"

She looks at the boy and plucks one of the fish from the firebenders arms to give it to him. "I wish we could spare more." The boy runs away and they watch him give the fish to his sick mother.

Hana knows she should reprimand at the waterbender for giving away their food but nothing in her wants to commit to it. They hop into the boat and head back towards the make-shift hideout. While Aang and Katara get to work cleaning the pollution out of their cooking water and Toph and Hana find themselves without work, Sokka ponders his schedule.

He turns towards us after a few moments. "Our detour into town today has completely thrown off our schedule. It's gonna take some serious finagling to get us back on track."

Toph waggles a finger in the air. "Finagle away, O’ schedule master."

"Well, for starters, it looks like we'll need to wake up forty-three minutes earlier every day."

"Forty-three minutes?" Katara asks.

"Look, we only have a few weeks to get to the Fire Lord in time for the invasion and the eclipse, which, by the way, only lasts for eight minutes. And we just lost a whole day. So if we want to make up the time and stay on schedule, we have to wake up early!"

Toph huffs. "Well, I'm not waking up early."

The waterbender's brother begins to say something but Hana raises her hand and he stops. "You sleep later than all of us. I doubt even you could stick to that plan," she states.

Sokka thinks for a moment. "Or we could just cut out all of our eating breaks.

This idea is quickly turned down by the group. Sokka's face lights up with a new idea. "I got it, how's this. From now on, we'll take food breaks and bathroom breaks at the same time."

The group gets the same look of disgust but does nothing to immediately shoot the idea down.

"Hey, it might be gross, but it's efficient. Either way, we have to leave here first thing tomorrow morning," he replies.

* * *

The sweet smell of honey stirs Hana from her sleep. When she opens her eyes to see she's not laying on a cave floor anymore but in a bedroom. It's a familiar bedroom, one she remembers from another lifetime. It's painted with warm light and a calming, nurturing feeling. She lazily gets out of bed and takes slow steps into the foyer.

It's empty, but everything is still as warm as the bedroom she just stepped out of. 

The screaming of little girls has Hana sprinting towards the front door but instead of a horror scene laid out in front of here, Hana sees Chunhua and Yu splashing the other with water. They're alive, they're here and they're having fun. She stands there taking deep breaths to calm down her heart as she watches them.

From behind her she hears two voices coming from the kitchen. Hana takes her eyes off her sisters to look into the other room, where her parents are busy making a meal for their family. Her father wraps his arms around her mother and whispers something in her ear. Whatever he says makes her laugh. It's a hearty, loud laugh that she hasn't heard in so long. Then when her mother comes back down from her joyous high, she wraps her hands around her father's neck and pulls him down for a long, soft kiss. When they pull away from each other, they both look at each other with something Hana can only describe as love.

It's the same love she's grown up admiring her entire life. It's the same love that made her mother trust her father completely when he asked her to leave their home with no explanation. It's the same love that keeps them together to this day.

Hana's too swept up in the image of her parents to notice a hand resting on her lower back until the body attached to it is whispering into her ear. "Who knew you could look so beautiful in the morning?"

She turns around to see none other than Prince Zuko standing behind her, his arms snaking around her middle. He lowers his head into the crook of her neck and places a soft kiss onto her heated skin. Hana stands there in his embrace and can do nothing but be there. It's been so long since she's been in his presence, been touched by him that every small movement made her skin burn.

Finally she finds her voice. "What are you doing here?"

He pulls his face back to look at her and smiles. His scar wrinkles when his lips turn up. He drags his fingers through her hair. "I ditched a council meeting. I know my generals are going to be mad but it was worth it if I get to see you."

Hana opens her mouth again to ask another thousands questions but her father steps out of the kitchen. "Zuko," he says. The prince lets her go and shakes her father's hand. "What are you doing away from the palace? We're not expecting you until tonight."

Zuko pulls away, but keeps Hana within arm’s length as he wraps his arm around her again. "I was just telling her that I left a meeting early so I can spend some time with my in-laws." He winks at her, and Hana's heart speeds up again. In-laws? The palace? Her head just keeps spinning as she stands in the middle of this living room watching Zuko and her father idly chat.

That when it hits her where she's seen this house before. It's her old home in the Fire Nation. The home she grew up in. The bedroom she woke up in was her old bedroom and she was walking through the halls she drew pictures on as a young child. She's about to crumble under the overwhelming realization when her sisters run into the house, dripping wet and racing right for the prince. The Fire Lord? Hana isn't sure anymore

They're screaming gleefully as he scoops both girls up under his arms and spins them around. His royal robes are drenched but he doesn't seem to mind as the girls wiggle in his grasp.

Every word in the air muffles before making it to Hana's ear. She backs away from the whole scene. Her parents and sisters and Zuko. Then a laugh builds in her throat before escaping in a sound that is wholly insane. Everyone stills around her, but her mother reaches out to her.

"Darling, Han. Are you okay?" She put her hand up to her forehead. "Are you coming down with something?"

She swipes her mother's hand away. "You're not real. None of you are. This whole house isn't real."

Zuko steps up and grips her upper arms. "What are you saying? We’re all right here. Are you sure you're okay?"

Hana pulls out of his grasp, showing her teeth. "You especially have no room to talk. You're not real. You're just a figment of my imagination of what I want you to be." The prince reaches for her again but she bats his hand away. "You left me. I begged you to stay but you just couldn't. Your precious honor was on the line so you not only fought against me, but also arrested your uncle."

With each word the illusion around her fades away leaving only a broken down home, devoid of all light and love. Then one by one, each person disappears until only she is left.

Hana's eyes shoot open and she lifts her head to her face, it comes away with sweat and tears. She knows she needs some sort of emotional relief before she explodes just like she did in her dream. Looking around at the rest of the group, she finds them fast asleep and she slides out of her sleeping bag. She tries her best to leave as silently as possible.

She keeps walking until she reaches the edge of the wide cliff, far enough away to where no one would hear her. She looks out onto the land and water below her. The village below is still asleep, only a few individuals beginning to stir away to start their day. Above them, the sun is only starting to rise, painting the sky in pink and red and orange.

_ Orange, it reminds me of the sun.  _ The words ring in her head, stealing the last bit of breath in her lungs.

Then, she screams.

It's a guttural, animistic scream that comes from the depths of her stomach. It goes on for longer, much longer than Hana had air in her lungs and when it becomes a scratchy groan, she takes in a deep breath and screams again. She screams for her sisters, who never knew what their homeland was truly like, her parents, who had to leave everything they knew behind to give their children a better future, and for herself. Or for the person she used to be. The person she could have been. The person who was stolen from her. The person she was going to be.

Each scream is punctuated by a punch to the air, a wave of fire dissipating in the air. The hair on her arms rise and her skin heats up to a critical temperature but Hana can't feel it through her frenzied anger. She keeps attacking absolutely nothing until her muscles are crying at her to stop and sweat is glistening on every square of her body.

Hana can't tell if it's sweat and tears on her face as she wipes the liquid away with her cheeks. She collapses to the grassy floor and finds it burnt to ash from the fire that once cocooned her feet. Her hands are shaking and her breath keeps hitching whenever she takes another lungful of air, but there's a delicious breeze wafting over the mountain cooling down her heated skin.

"Is it safe for me to come out now or will I become a freshly fried earthbender?" A voice creeps out from behind Hana. She tries to stand, but her exhaustion has caught up to her and keeps her grounded. 

She lifts up her head to see the blind earth-bender drop a rock she's been using as a shield and hiding space.

"Haven't any of you learned not to sneak up on other people?" She says, but there's no bite behind those words and the earthbender knows it. Toph takes a seat next to the firebender and stares out into the little village. More people have risen and started their days, milling in and out of homes and shops. "I didn't mean to wake you," Hana finally breaks the silence. "I thought I walked far enough to not disturb any of you."

Toph shakes her head. "I woke up when I felt you tossing in your sleeping bag. Your heartbeat was racing, shaking the ground. It was hard to fall back to sleep after that so I just decided to follow you."

Hana isn't sure if it’s because of the absurdity of the conversation or the fact that she was exhausted beyond belief but she almost laughed at Toph's words. "Do you not trust me that much that you feel the need to follow my every move?"

She looked at the earthbender but Toph just kept staring straight ahead. Then, a smile broke out onto her face. "You haven't killed us or turned us in yet, plus you were pretty cool when I met you in the forest all that time ago, so you're good in my book."

Hana picks her head off the grass. “You knew that was me?”

“How could I not?” Toph says. She doesn’t take her eyes off the horizon in front of her, but Hana knows that smile is meant for her. “I knew that was you the moment I heard your voice.”

Hana opens her mouth, but she doesn’t know what to say, so she closes it and drops her head back to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Toph asks. It’s a softer tone than what she normally uses with the others. Hana didn’t know she was capable of such kindness. Hana’s silent for a little too long, which makes the earthbender more than a little uncomfortable. "You were having a nightmare and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Hana finches at the earthbenders forthwith comment. She sits up. "How did you-"

"The tossing and turning, increased heartbeat, and that's all before you just sprung up from the ground like the dead and immediately walked away from the campsite." Toph goes over her checklist, and Hana finds herself pulling away. The girl is still talking but it's all muffled in Hana's ears until she puts her hand on her shoulder, making everything come into crystal clear focus. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I-" Hana presses her lips together. She hasn't spoken about the prince at all to this group of people she has found herself with. Whenever he was brought into conversation, she found herself moving the conversation in another direction away from him. Even now, she's conflicted in spilling her guts about the Fire Nation prince.

While Hana's still contemplating, the earthbender bumps shoulders with her. "Don't explode while you're overthinking over there. You don't have to if you don't want to, I just think that no one should feel they can't trust the people they're with. You included."

The firebender looks at the blind girl, who hasn’t looked back at her since she sat down, and then all the string entangling her heart untangles. Her truth just spills out from her mouth. How the prince and his uncle were on the run in her town, that he came back to save them, their time traveling and in Ba Sing Sae, what she thought they were, the feelings she felt after he left her behind, the nightmare she just witnessed. When she's finally done, the sun is reaching high in the sky and Hana feels a little bit better than she did that morning.

At one point Hana started crying. Warm, wet tears rolling down her face. She doesn't wipe them away or even sniffle her nose but somehow Toph knows as she reaches out to find her hand. She holds it between them as they sit in absolute silence.

Hana doesn't bat her hand away or try to pull away even once.

* * *

"Where have you two been!" Sokka demands when the two come into view. "We're already behind schedule. We should've left five minutes ago, but we had to wait for you guys!"

Hana opens her mouth to shut him up but Toph beats her to it. "Buzz off. We're back, aren't we? Leave it alone then."

The two start collecting their stuff, getting ready to leave on the next leg of their adventure but they stop when they hear the Avatar and the water-bender conversing over the bison.

"What's the matter, Katara?" Aang asks looking from her to his flying bison.

"I think Appa's sick," she replies, stroking the animal's head.

Sokka hears this and instantly is by their sides. "What? Appa's sick? That's awful!"

Hana is a little surprised how naive the earthbender is when she turns to the boy. "Wow, Sokka, I didn't realize you cared so much."

"Yeah I don't think that's where his distress is coming from," the firebender replies as she walks over to her side.

"Of course I care. I might as well just throw our schedule away now." His friends give him a glare that could have killed him and he quickly changes his tune, rushing solicitously to Appa's side. "And I'm concerned because my big, furry friend doesn't feel well."

"Nice save," Hana replies dryly

Before he can reply, Toph steps close to the bison. "He must have gotten sick from being in the polluted water."

"He doesn't look sick. You okay, buddy?" Aang pets the animals and he opens his mouth, his tongue flopping to one side. "His tongue is purple! That can't be good. Katara, can you heal him?"

Katara looks over at him. "It looks like he needs some medicine. Maybe we can find the right herbs in town."

When the group get to the village, they all notice the change which is more bustling and prosperous than any of them thought it could ever be. The sight warms Hana's heart but the feeling of skepticism coats that warmth in a blanket of blackness.

Toph tilts her head. "Is it just me, or does this place seem different?"

"Yeah, are the people... happier?" Aang asks, looking around the village.

The little boy from the previous day runs by, bouncing a ball, no visible sign of sickness anywhere. They make their way up to Dock's market stall, wherein they all learned rough the day before, he is currently inhabiting his "Xu" persona.

Sokka leans on the stall. "Hey, Xu, what's going on with everyone today?"

"Ah, something amazing happened last night. Food was delivered to our village by a mysterious and wonderful person... the Painted Lady."

"Who painted who now?" Katara asks.

"The Painted Lady." Dock sets a statuette of the woman down on the counter: she is a heavily draped damsel with elaborate red markings on her face, neck and arms. With a crescent moon on her forehead, and capped with a wide-brimmed conical hat. Upon seeing this sculpture, Hana remembers where she has seen this town. It's a specific town that she heard about in the chatter of her old school yard. The single village that had their own spirit, but unlike all the other mythical spirits who at one point were real, there was no real encounter with or written account of the Painted Lady. It was a point of laughter for the Fire Nation children. "She's part of our town's lore. They say she's a river spirit who watches over our town in times of need. I always thought she was just a legend. Until now."

Sokka looks at his sister. "See, we don't need to help these people, they already have someone to help them," he says before looking back at Dock. "All we need is medicine for our sick friend."

"Medicine? Sorry, all the medicine we have goes to the factory. That's why there’s so many sick people in our village."

The waterbender sighs before turning back to the rest of the group. "Looks like we need to stay another night so Appa can rest."

Sokka is exasperated but doesn't argue. "I guess you're right. You got any more food to sell?"

* * *

That night, there are no more nightmares for Hana, but that doesn't stop her from only getting an hour or two of sleep. Between the sick bison and the realization of this village keep Hana's brain whirring all night long. No one moves an inch all night but she does have a dream where she's in a room just listening to the faint sound of footsteps and when she wakes up, Katara is out of her bedroll. 

Hana doesn’t say anything but she does find it suspicious when they go into the village the next day to find more happy people and Dock polishing his Painted Lady figurines as Sokka steps up to the counter. "Hi, Dock. Is Xu around?"

"Let me check." He runs around the shop and ducks beneath the counter to switch hats. "Hey there! Back again, are ya?"

Toph pushes past Sokka. "We need more food. Our friend is still sick and we can't leave until he's better."

Dock obligingly presents them with a platter of most likely unedible clams. "Oh, well, that's too bad. Maybe if you guys are lucky, the Painted Lady will visit you in the night, and heal your friend."

Sokka, the eternal skeptic, snatches the package of food from the man. "And maybe she'll cook us a midnight snack, and we'll all have a sing-along."

Dock is oblivious to the boy's sarcasm. "Yeah, maybe! You know, last night she visited us again. Healed most of our sick folks."

"Is that why this place seems so festive?" He's right, the people of the village seem to be way more happy than it was yesterday. Which was way happier than the day before. Instead of the villagers barely having enough energy to stand and now children are running through the streets and people are chatting merrily to one another. Hana is still wary of the very fake spirit, but she does feel a spark of happiness when she sees the effect she has on them.

"Yep, it's all because of the Painted Lady."

Katara scans the crowd before looking back to the group with a big smile. "Can you believe how much an entire village can be affected by a single lady?"

"Well, I hope they return every night. Otherwise this place would go right back to the way it was," Sokka replies.

The waterbenders calm expression quickly turns infuriated at her brother's remark. "Why would you say that? Look how much better off these people are."

"Yeah, now, but without her they wouldn't be able to fend for themselves. If she really wanted to help, she would use her spirit magic to blow up that factory." Sokka makes a wild and huge gesture to indicate 'explosive spirit magic'.

The Avatar tells him that that is not how spirit magic works before doing his own interpretive dance.

"Are you two done?" Hana asks with an eyebrow raised. They shut up.

* * *

The nights seem to only get longer as Hana still can't sleep. Sometime in the night, when the moon is high and bright in the sky, Hana rolls over onto her side to see one of the rolls stuffed with dried grass. She should be shocked, but she isn't. She's had an inkling of an idea that the 'Painted Lady' wasn't who the people of the village thought she was.

It's exactly what she expects when she sees the waterbender putting on the last of her Painted Lady costume.

"Who is the all-mighty Painted Lady going to heal tonight?" Katara spins around, shocked. She begins to stutter an excuse but Hana holds up a hand to stop her. "You've got to stop this, Katara. You've got a good heart but this isn't helping anyone. I mean- is Appa even sick?"

"Well, not exactly-"

"What were you thinking? That you were going to fake his sickness forever until the whole town was fixed. You can't fix everyone-"

"At least I'm trying. I'm doing more than you! All you're doing is sticking around us until it's the right time to stab us all in the back," the waterbender says through gritted teeth. "Honestly, why are you even up if it's not to meet someone-"

"Do you think I'm dumb?" Hana says behind bared teeth. "Do you honestly think I'm just some big, dumb firebender who wouldn't know there's a village in my nation that worships the one spirit that doesn't exist. I know you don't like me but I thought you would have at least trusted me by now. Since I've spent the last few weeks generally keeping your team out of trouble and alive and staying out of  _ your _ way."

"Yeah, right like I'd ever believe that. You're just waiting for Zuko-"

The last straw that broke Hana was the mention of his name. Not the prince, not his Royal Highness, but Zuko. Just Zuko. Just the name gave out a connotation that broke the last bit of will she had keeping back her composure. Then she jumped at Katara, her hands alight with flames. For a moment, the girl actually looked scared. Scared that the firebender in front of her would actually hurt her. But that scared feeling moved into confusion then into worry at the words flying from Hana's mouth.

"Don't say his name. You know nothing,  _ nothing _ about him.  _ About us. _ You have no right to talk about him like you do. I don't have to prove anything to you. I know why I'm doing what I'm doing and I don't need to explain that to you. I'm not going to apologize for not being peppy or light or whatever you wanted me to be and I'm not going to apologize for being a firebender because no matter what you think I know I'm a good person and my Nation is full of good people."

When the last word stops echoing, it's suddenly too quiet. Katara doesn't seem to have anything to say. No remarks, no quaffs, no jeers. It isn't until it's silent that Hana realizes she doesn't want it to be. She wants it to be loud, for the waterbender to yell at her but she doesn't. And the silence is deafening.

"Painted Lady Spirit?" Another voice breaks through the silence. When Hana turns around she sees the Avatar, looking from one girl to the next. He seems to wants to point out her presence but then turns back to the 'Painted Lady.' "Excuse me, I don't mean to bother you, but my friend's sick and we're on kind of a tight schedule."

Katara covers her face quickly. "I wish I could help you, but I am very busy."

The Avatar leans down, peeking up under her hat. "You seem familiar, too."

"A lot of people say that."

"No... you really seem familiar."

"Look, I really should get going..."

She turns to leave, but Aang sends her hat flying with a blast of air. She frantically pulls it back onto her head but it's too late.

"Katara!"

Katara waves to him sheepishly. "Hi, Aang."

"You're the Painted Lady! But how?"

"I wasn't at first, I was just trying to help the village. But since everyone thought that's who I was anyway... I guess I just kind of became her," she answers.

"So you have been sneaking out at night? Wait... is Appa even sick?"

Katara shakes her head. "He... might be sick of the purple berries I've been feeding him, but, other than that, he's fine."

"I can't believe you lied to everyone so you could help these people."

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have." Katara looks down.

To Hana's shock and surprise, his face lights up. "No, I think it's great! You're both like secret heroes."

"Well, if you want to help... there's one more thing we have to do." Katara looks in the direction of the dreadful looking building without much explanation. 

"You want to destroy this factory?" Aang asks, looking at Katara as he puts the pieces together.

"Yes. Sokka was just kidding, but he was right. Getting rid of this factory is the only way to help these people permanently," she explains as takes a quick look at Hana.

"I'm not going," Hana says. The Avatar looks back at her, almost like he forgot she was there. "It's a nice sentiment but you're only going to hurt them in the end." Katara's expression hardens but Hana holds up her hands. "That doesn't mean I'm going to stop you, just wanted you to know the consequences of your actions."

Katara nods once before she and Aang left them. Hana did say that she wasn't going to stop them but she never said that she wouldn't tell her brother. By the time they come back, Sokka, Toph and Hana are all waiting for them.

"Hi! Sokka! We were just... out on a... morning walk!" The waterbender tries her best to lie but it's so bad that it makes Hana want to laugh.

"Oh, really? A morning walk?" He dumps the dry grass from her sleeping bag onto the ground. "Did you think that Hana wouldn't tell us you're the Painted Lady." He turns to his sister with annoyance. "I know you have been sneaking out at night, and I know you have been lying about Appa and feeding him purpling tongue berries!" Toph sticks out her now-purple tongue and holds up a bag of berries as evidence.

Katara shots enough visual-daggers into Hana to send shivers down her spine.

"Katara," her brother continues. "What you both did put our whole mission in jeopardy. We're leaving right now." The waterbender walks off with her shoulders hunched and her brother turns to Aang. "And how long did you know about this?"

"Hey, I just found out this morning." Aang says in defense.

It's in the middle of their conversation when a strange sound fills the air and the group move towards the sound to find a detachment of Fire Soldiers on jet skis racing down the river towards the village.

"What's going on?" Toph asks.

Aang watches, his mouth dropped open. "Fire Nation soldiers are heading to the village."

He turns back to the two offenders and glares at them before continuing. "And this is what happens when you  _ blow up _ a Fire Nation factory. Did you two even think this through? The army's gonna blame the villagers. They're headed there right now to get revenge."

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Katara barks at him.

"Leave! Do nothing!"

Katara gets in his face. "No. I will never, ever turn my back on people who need me." She gets up to leave. "I'm going down to the village, and I am gonna do whatever I can."

Sokka thinks for a moment before getting up and following her. "Wait. I'm coming too."

Katara looks at him. "I thought you didn't want to help."

Sokka places a hand on her shoulder. "You need me, and I will never turn my back on you."

"Sokka. You really do have a heart." She wraps her brother in a tender embrace.

"He really does have a heart, doesn't he?" Aang is wiping away mock-tears before turning to Toph for confirmation.

The earthbender, however, has a low tolerance for this kind of sentiment and socks him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. She looks back at Hana, nodding her head in the direction of the factory. "You coming?"

A small smile forms on her face, as she rolls her eyes and nods. It takes more time than they'd like to get to the factory, but when they do there are more than a few Fire Nation soldiers. "Oh, right, the mysterious Painted Lady did it. And I suppose she drew the army emblem on your containers, too. This is a town of thieves and liars!" He launches a blast of fire, destroying a house.

"Where's your Painted Lady now? We're going to cure the world of this wretched village." The Fire Nation captain laughs before signaling to the other soldiers around him .

Two more soldiers light a large ball of fire perched on a buoy in the river, but a mysterious gust of wind from nowhere blows the fire out, twice.

"Light it again!" The man shouts.

They do, and it is blown out again.

A female Fire Soldier points out to the water, where a heavy fog is rapidly pouring in from the waters edge. "Look at that! Where's it coming from?"

Another Fire Soldier looks over. "I don't know. Something strange is going on."

A little boy smiles. "It's the Painted Lady. She's coming!"

"There is no Painted Lady!" The general snaps.

The fog parts dramatically reveal Katara in full Painted Lady regalia. She pauses a moment before rushing toward the Fire Soldiers in a burst of water. She swiftly alights on the dock and slowly approaches them.

The General waves his men in the direction of Katara. "Do something!" He pushes his soldiers forward. As they timidly draw near, they are rattled by a blast of air from the Avatar's air-bending. "Stand your ground!"

Katara waterbends two jet skis into a nearby cliff. As she raises her hand to wreak further damage, the Fire Soldiers jump into the remaining jet skis and speed off, leaving the General to hold the fort. "I'll take care of you myself."

He bends an arc of fire at Katara. Aang, concealed beneath the dock, sends Katara flying into the sky on a column of air; the flame passes harmlessly beneath her. For good measure, Aang rends the dock in two with a blast of wind, sending the General flying into the river. Katara quickly follows after him.

As he flounders, Katara rises out of the polluted water before him and raises her arms threateningly. "Leave this village and never come back."

He swims desperately away from her and a stray jet ski passes by and he clambers into it and the ski buzzes off. Sokka, Toph and Hana row towards the village as the people applaud Katara.

"I knew you'd come," the little boy says as he cheers her on.

Dock walks closer to Katara with a grateful smile. "Me and my brothers really owe you a lot." Dock looks at her closely and has a shock of recognition. "Hey, wait a minute! I know you! You're not the Painted Lady, you're that colonial girl!"

"You've been tricking us. You're a waterbender!"

"She's a waterbender! How dare you act like our Painted Lady?" The crowd surges forward in anger.

Sokka runs forward to intervene. "Maybe she is a waterbender, but she was just trying to help you. Because of her, that factory won't be polluting your river, and the army is gone. You should be down on your knees thanking her."

This sentiment doesn't seem to deter the crowd as they continue to shout. Katara looks down at her feet with guilt, letting the crowd pelt her with angry accusations.

"Sokka, hold on," Hana says before turning to the villagers. "True, she shouldn't have acted like someone she wasn't, and she shouldn't have tricked you. But she felt like she had to do something. It doesn't matter if the Painted Lady is real or not. Because your problems are real, and this river is real. You can't wait around for someone to help you. You have to help yourself."

Hana holds herself still and silent for a moment while she looks over the crowd. When her eyes pan over the waterbender, she swears she sees the ghost of a smile across her face.

Dock thinks for a moment. "She's right, but what should we do?"

Toph slinks out of the crowd she's been hiding in to make a suggestion. "Maybe we can clean the river."

The villagers all seem to love the idea and the rest of the morning and afternoon is spent cleaning the river, with extensive bending help from Katara. By sunset, the river is blue and pristine. Hana sneaks off after the cheers and thanks become a little too much for her. She sits down by the freshly detoxed water and is relieved that she finally gets a moment alone.

Until the voice of a woman tickles her ear. "Beautiful as ever, Hana?"

Hana jumps back, standing up fully before looking at the body attached to the voice. She's a girl about her age with short black hair, wearing a kimono that shows off both of her legs. And wrapped around her left leg, are the same dragon scale tattoos that Hana has etched into her back. Shock runs through her. "You know me?"

"Why, yes. I know you better than even you do. You don't remember now, but you will when you learn of every single one of us." Her smile falters as she observes the firebender. "You've lost your light, your fiery will. Don't be afraid to be who you are Hana, we are all depending on you."

"But I–"

"The scrolls will help you understand, you must find them." And then, she just fades away.

"What scrolls?" Hana yells into the air. "Hello? Where did you go? Who are you?" All she gets back is silence to her questions. "And why do you have my birthmarks?"


	20. The Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Answer it," Azula demands, her impatience growing stronger.
> 
> And then, suddenly, the prince breaks open like a dam holding back a tsunami for longer than it should have. "I'm angry at myself!" He throws his arms down aggressively and the campfire bursts into a massive column of flames. The girls cover their eyes to protect themselves from the fire as the wind and embers fly through his blowing hair, but Zuko stares into it. And in that fire, in that beautiful column of flame, is the silhouette of a figure all too familiar to Zuko. Her fiery curves twist and move as she leans down towards the prince. She looks like she wants to whisper something to him. 
> 
> The fire burns out and it goes dark.

  
  


> "I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?"
> 
> \- John Lennon

  
  


Zuko still continues to dream about her, day by day he can't seem to get her out of his mind. Some days he wishes he could see him just to get the image of her out of his thoughts. Every day he's been growing angrier than he's ever been, every breath anyone takes seems to push all of his buttons. And it makes it all worse that only the thoughts of a certain golden eyed firebender relaxes him.

The prince has been trying to stay away from Mai now that he realizes the internal conflict in his heart for her isn't going anywhere. It makes him feel dirty, like he's using her when he's with her but ends up thinking about the other one. All he wants is to be alone for once.

But, that plan has been ruined by his father.

Currently, Zuko is sitting on a Fire Nation ship with Mai, Azula, and Ty Lee, headed towards Ember Island. The Fire Lord has decided he wants the children out of the way so he could talk to his advisers.

For three days the prince will be stuck with his sister and Mai, who has been acting strangely. Zuko has come to the conclusion that Ty Lee isn't so bad, but only because she seems to be the only one who doesn't hover around the prince.

Ty Lee's staring out at the water before turning to the princess. "I'm so excited to spend the weekend on Ember Island. It's gonna be great to hang out on the beach and do nothing."

"Doing nothing is a waste of time." Zuko stands up, moving further out onto the deck. "We're being sent away on a forced vacation." He walks over to the balustrade and leans against it, staring out to sea. "I feel like a child."

Azula looks at her brother with a relaxed smile. "Lighten up. So dad wants to meet with his advisers alone... without anyone else around. Don't take it personally."

Ty Lee throws her arm around Azula, curiosity filling her wide eyes. "Doesn't your family have a house on Ember Island?"

The princess pushes her friend away from her. "We used to come every summer when we were kids."

"That must've been fun!" Ty Lee replies with a smile.

"That was a long time ago."

The island is just like Zuko remembers when he was a child. When they make their way to the house, it's... smaller than he thought it would be. It has been years since he's been back to the house and maybe it was because he was so small, but the house had always seemed like it would go on for miles. Now, it doesn't look any bigger than their house in Ba Sing Sae. Just the mention of the city sends a shock of pain through his chest.

Two women stand on the dock, waiting for the teens. "Welcome to Ember Island, kids."

After a few pleasantries, they follow the women inside the house. It's cold despite the warm summer day outside. Every inch of the house is covered in dust, indicating just how long it has been since human life occupied the space. Zuko suddenly feels very alone despite being totally surrounded.

"It smells like death in here," he says as the group steps further into the room.

Mai wipes a finger across a cabinet, getting a finger full of dust when he pulls it away. "Gee, I wonder why." 

Ty Lee lies back on the old couch, snuggling against the pillow. "Ooh, I love this vintage decor!"

"Are you serious? It looks like someone left this house to die," Mai says, disgusted evident in her tone. Zuko knows that she knows little about the truth of this house and the island but the comment still stings a bit.

One of the old woman turns to the group, scrutinizing their faces. "We know you're upset that you were forced to come here this weekend. But Ember Island is a magical place. Keep an open mind.”

"Give it a chance..." The other woman adds.

"And it can help you understand yourselves and each other," they say together. One woman grabs a smooth stone resting on a table and passes it to her sister. "The beach has a special way of." She rubs the smooth stone. "Smoothing even the most ragged edges."

\---

Zuko has decided, once and for all, that since he has to be here with Mai that he's going to try to push the other girl out of his mind and focus on trying to make the relationship work. He hasn't seen her eyes in flowers or heard her voice in the wind ever since he left the palace.

The beach isn't hard to find. There are people everywhere but there's plenty of room for the four to easily find a place to sit. Zuko lays out a blanket onto the warm sand and sets up an umbrella, giving him as much shade and privacy as possibly.

Mai lays herself out and Zuko knows he needs to walk away when another tinge of fury zips through his chest. On the beach, he comes across a small shell sticking out from the sand that reminds him of the one he gave her on one of their dates. He remembers her wanting to jump into the water, wanting him to join her, and well... her wish was his command. In the water, Zuko remembers stepping on something hard, something sharp and when he leaned down for it he found a small shell, no bigger than his big toe.

He remembers when he gave it to her. How happy she was that he gave her something so insignificant.

"Look what I found," he said.

"It's so pretty. I love those red colors," she replied.

"Then you can have it." He still remembers when her face lit up with a delight he hadn't seen in his entire life. All for a mere seashell given by him.

Zuko shook out the memory as he handed the shell to Mai, a slight smile still on his face. "Here... This is for you."

"Why would I want that?" She asks, like it's the worst thing he's given her.

"I saw it and I thought it was pretty. Don't girls like stuff like this?" He asks, frowning from her response.

She turns her head away from the prince as she brushes him off. "Maybe stupid girls."

All at once his anger triples. Stupid girls? Girl like Hana? Girls who light up like the sun when the boys they like give them the smallest thing? Girls who deserve way, way more than he could ever be? 

"Forget it!" He barks as he throws the shell away in anger.

After several uncomfortable minutes of silence, Zuko stands up and heads toward the ice cream stand. At the moment he can only remember her favorite flavor, green tea. He walks back over to Mai and joins her under the umbrella again.

"I thought since it's so hot... here." He offers, trying to sound more relaxed than before. He attempts to hand her one of the cones, but the scoop falls off the cone and into Mai's lap.

She looks down at the ice cream. "Thanks. This is really refreshing." Her voice is bland.

He's angry again. Why did it have to be so hard? It was never this hard with... The prince stops the thought as soon as it comes.

The princess calls out to the two. "Hey, beach bums, we're playing next. Ty Lee, get over here now!" Azula commands.

Zuko stands up and throws off his shirt, the wind blowing his hair across his face. He didn't realize how long it was getting. He and Mai follow after the princess. The four huddle together and his sister comes up with a strategy.

It would be an understatement to say that they gave the other team a chance. By the time the game ends, the other side hasn't even scored another point against Zuko's team. Sure, the other team isn't happy with the outcome but the princess is very,  _ very _ happy. 

"Yes, we defeated you for all time! You will never rise from the ashes of your shame and humiliation!" Azula laughs before she casually turns toward her group. "Well, that was fun."

The two guys from earlier approach Ty lee. "I'm having a party tonight. You should come by." She gladly accepts their invitation with a smile. The guys look Mai up and down with a grin. "Your friend can come, too." Zuko's surprised to find himself getting angry.

Azula approaches them, raising an eyebrow. "What about me and my brother?" She crosses her arms over her chest. "Aren't you going to invite us?" The guys look at one another skeptically. "You don't know who we are, do you?"

The taller one steps up. "Don't you know who we are? We're Chan and Ruon Jian."

The prince walks forward, fists balled up and ready to strike, but his sister puts her arm out to stop him.

Chan raises an eyebrow. "Fine, you're invited. Just so you know though, some of the most important teenagers in the Fire Nation are gonna be at this party so... try and act normal."

Azula tilts her head with her signature, man-eating smirk. "We'll do our best."

* * *

Zuko still can't believe he's being dragged to a party while he sits around a hexagonal table on the balcony outside eating dinner with the rest of his group. The last thing he wants to do is attend the party of some rich brats who have never had to fight for anything in their lives.

He turns to his sister, keeping all traces of annoyance in his tone. "Why didn't you tell those guys who we were?"

"I guess I was intrigued. I'm so used to people worshiping us," she replies simply.

Ty Lee smiles at her. "They should."

"Yes, I know, and I love it! But for once, I just wanted to see how people would treat us if they didn't know who we were." Zuko can't stop his eyes from rolling in his head at her words.

Mai leans against the prince's arm as she eats. He has a strange feeling of wanting to push her away when she does but brushes it aside. He chastises himself. Tells himself that she isn't there. She made her choice, as did he. 

The two women speak in unison. "Like waves washing away the footprints on the sand, Ember Island gives everyone a clean slate. Ember Island reveals the true you." They stand up and clap twice before raising one arm in excitement. "To the party!"

Azula leads the way to the party with the rest following behind her. When they arrive, she grabs the ornate gold knocker on a large wooden door and knocks. The door opens to reveal Chan, confusion and displeasure crossing his features when he takes in their presence.

"Um... You're a little early. No one's here yet."

"I heard you telling someone you'd be partying from dusk till dawn." Azula looks out at the horizon. "It's dusk so we're here."

"But that's just an expression."

"We are the perfect party guests. We arrive right on time because we are very punctual."

Chan shrugs and gestures for the four to come inside the house. The entryway is large, with a long table covered with food at the center. "That's a sharp outfit, Chan... careful," Azula says to the boy. "You could puncture the hull of an Empire-Class Fire Nation Battleship, leaving thousands to drown at sea." She points at his outfit. "Because it's so sharp." Wow, and Zuko thought he was bad at flirting.

"Um... Thanks."

Ruon Jian is combing his hair in a mirror. He sees the four walking by in the mirror and turns toward them, but mostly looks at the girls. "Hey, first ones here, huh?"

"Pft. He thinks he's so great." The prince turns to Mai. "Well, what do you think of him?"

They stop walking and she looks at the firebender. "I don't have any opinion about him. I hardly know him."

"You like him, don't you?" He accuses. A strange feeling of burning lava traveling through him.

Mai just sighs and walks away, as Zuko glares at Ruon Jian. He doesn't like him, and he doesn't know why he doesn't like him but he knows for sure that he doesn't like how Mai doesn't try to at all reassure him. He follows after her to a couch and sits down next to her.

He finds himself sitting for a while in an awkward silence. He can tell she's bored, and on top of that he's miserable. Every fiber in his body is telling him to get up and leave. He doesn't know how to make anything better for him or Mai. Maybe if Hana... The prince sighs, giving up on trying not to think about her. It just seems to make him angrier.

Maybe if Hana were here, if she were the one sitting next to him, he'd actually have fun. She's the only person he's found that he can sit with in silence and be comfortable. She's the only one that can make him truly laugh and smile. Nothing was forced with her. If she were here, they'd be standing in a corner a little bit away from the rest of the party-goers, and she'd be whispering in his ear everything her eyes crossed. The guy who's pouring his drink into a priceless vase. The girl who showed up in a little too high of heels and a little too much makeup trying to impress a guy who is clearly not into her. The two boys who sneak out back. She'd see it all and she'd tell him wild stories about them all while he laughs easily.

Mai crosses her arms and leans into Zuko. "I'm bored."

"I know," he says, the calming thought of Hana cracking at the edges with Mai's voice.

"I'm hungry."

"So what?" The prince looks at her.

"So, find me some food."

He tries to suppress a groan as best as possible, but finds just a little leaking out of the corners of his mouth. "Sure." He gets up and walks to the table of food.

It's only until he makes it to the table that he realizes he has no idea what she likes. He's sure he'll get it wrong either way so he just starts piling the plate full of food. Why is he even here? A little voice nags at him for making the wrong decision. Over the weeks that voice has gotten louder and the regret has become larger. He lost the two people that truly cared for him and now, in the middle of some Fire Nation party, he feels like he's losing himself.

Zuko starts walking through the crowd of party guests. One of them knocks his plate out of his grasp with an over-zealous gesture and the food goes smashing to the ground.

The frustration and anger that he has been feeling all night, feeling for weeks, finally bubbles out of him as he yells at the individual. "Hey, watch it! That food was for my cranky girlfriend." He points in the direction of Mai, and when he sees her, he sees Ruon Jian leaning over her and she's smiling. The prince forgets the food and rushes toward them and pushes Ruon Jian away from her.

Ruon Jian straightens his hair. "Whoa. What are you doing?"

"Stop talking to my girlfriend!" He growls angrily.

Ruon Jian approaches him. "Relax, it's just a party."

Zuko narrows his eyes, pushing Ruon Jian hard, sending him flying across the room and ultimately breaking a giant vase.

Mai stands up, grabbing his shoulders to get him to turn towards her. "Zuko, what is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?!"

"Your temper's out of control. You blow up over every little thing. You're so impatient and hot-headed and angry," she spits.

"Well, at least I feel something...as opposed to you. You have no passion for anything." He raises his arms in the air. "You're just a big 'blah'."

Mai looks shocked for a moment before turning away from him. "It's over, Zuko. We're done."

"Good!" She glances at the firebender, her face pinched together. He knows he's angry, more angry than he should be, but part of him is glad that she's made the decision so that he won't have to pretend she's more than a friend.

Chan comes running over to the broken pieces of vase on the floor. "Who broke my Nana's vase?" Ruon Jian points at Zuko and Chan gestures for the prince to leave immediately. "That's it, you're out of here."

"I was just leaving," Zuko growls before turning and walking away from Ruon Jian, Chan and Mai.

"Have fun by yourself, loser boy."

Zuko stomps out the door alone and slams it shut behind him for good measure. He can't even think straight so he lets his feet go where they want to and ends up at the beach. He collapses onto the sand and finds he doesn't even have the strength to scream. He thought coming back home was what he wanted but it's nothing like what he expected it to be when he was finally accepted back home again. He's angry all over again, the same anger he felt when he was first banished to hunt for the Avatar, but stronger. How did he make this feeling go away before? How was he able to...  _ her. _ Suddenly the prince remembers the last words Hana spoke to him in Ba Sing Sae.

She loved him. She told him that in the caves under the Ba Sing Sae palace but he was too engulfed in his own need for redemption that he couldn't listen to her. She loved him. She  _ loves _ him, if circumstances still applied. And he... he loves her.

Zuko continues further down the beach, along the water with his head down. Even with his eyes closed it would be easy to move through the rocks and sand before looking upward, his gaze finding the large Fire Nation mansion nestled in the mountain face. His family's mansion. He proceeds towards it before coming to a brief stop to look out at the sea.

Memories of his father with two small children, running happily through the sand when he was little. The prince shakes the memory away and keeps walking but another memory appears. This time it's of a young boy. More specifically, it's Zuko as a young boy without a scar but with a smile that's missing some teeth. Someone has their arm around him. His father. As the memory fades, he realizes he's standing before the doorway to the house.

He moves toward the doorway but when he tries to pull it open, he finds it locked. Everyone's at the party so he sees no harm in kicking it open. Stepping inside, he glances around the dusty great room before walking up the stairs, coming to a halt before a family portrait.

Fire Lord Ozai, Fire Lady Ursa, Azula, and Zuko are sitting together. It's before the prince had his scar. He looks from his father, to himself, then to his mother. A slight pain goes through Zuko's chest when he takes in her face. He tries not to think about her. It only hurts when he does but right now, the prince of the Fire Nation wants nothing more than to talk to his mother.

Resting on the narrow table beneath the portrait is a circular piece of concrete with a baby's hand stamped in it. Zuko places his hand on top of the small print.

"Hana, Mom... what should I do?"

* * *

Hana's been tossing and turning, trying to sleep with no success. She can't get this bad feeling in her stomach to go away and she wrote out sickness hours ago. Eventually, she gives up trying to sleep and goes to take a walk around the camp. Everyone has been asleep for the last couple of hours and she doesn't expect them to wake anytime soon.

Hana's watching them all sleep as Toph's eyes suddenly snap open as she sits up, waking the rest of the group up. "Guys, you're all gonna think I'm crazy, but it feels like a metal man is coming."

For a moment, all is silent. That is until the ground under them begins to vibrate. "We need to get out of here! Now!" Hana yells as she starts running towards the rest of the group.

Aang sits up, looking sleepy as a bright light shines in his face. He rubs sleep out of his eyes and looks toward the light source. Hana follows his gaze and finds a man standing at the top of the crater's cliff.

She watches as the man's stomach sucks inward as he breathes in deeply. A beam shoots out of his forehead, moving straight toward Aang. The firebender dashes towards the Avatar and throws her full weight at him, knocking him out of the way. The beam hits a nearby cliff, the rock and gravel exploding around them.

They are blown backward from the aftermath of the aggressive explosion. Toph steadies herself and bends a large herd of rocks toward the man attacking them. He shoots another beam, destroying the rocks and creating another explosion right in front of the earthbender.

Katara attempts to stop his next attack with her waterbending, but her efforts are turned ineffective as it becomes a massive cloud of steam. The team doesn't get but a couple seconds when another beam is shot at them though the steam and it hits the rocks next to them, causing the earth to shake around them. Hana has managed to pull them all behind a rock, crouched and covering their heads for the explosion.

Sokka looks from Hana to Aang. "This is crazy! How can we beat a guy who blows things up with his mind?"

The Avatar crawls forward. "We can't. Jump on Appa. I'll try to distract him." Before Hana can even think to stop him, he runs into the cloud of steam and disappears.

* * *

Zuko's sitting on the stairs, holding his childhood handprint when he hears someone approaching, but he doesn't look up. 

"I thought I'd find you here." Zuko finally looks up to see his sister.

He looks back to the painting before training his eyes on the slab of concrete in his hand. "Those summers we spent here seem so long ago. So much has changed."

He looks up again at her as she gestures down the steps. "Come down to the beach with me." She starts walking off. "Come on, this place is depressing."

Zuko begins to follow her, setting the hand print down on the porch. The brother and sister are silent as they walk down the beach toward Mai and Ty Lee.

The prince glances at Mai before quickly looking away. She looks angry and just a bit sad. "Hey-"

"Where's your new boyfriend?" He interrupts and Mai turns away angrily. While looking at her, he begins to feel a little guilty at the outburst so he walks over to sit next to her. "Are you cold?"

He reaches out to put his arm around her, but while he expects her to curl up right under it and maybe nuzzle her face into his chest, instead she slaps it away. The prince gets up and walks away from her.

"I'm freezing," Ty Lee calls out. 

Finally, a smile crosses Zuko's face. "I'll make a fire." He looks toward the cliff side where his childhood home is located. "There's plenty of stuff to burn in there." He gets up and walks up to the house like a man on a mission. Because in that house, he knows exactly what to burn. He purposefully goes up the stairs and rips the portrait off the wall before making his way back to the beach. When he gets back, he sets the wood that's already in the pit on fire before throwing the portrait into the flames. He watches the picture burn to ashes.

Ty Lee looks at the prince. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Zuko glares down at her. He thought it was pretty obvious what he's doing.

"But it's a painting of your family."

Zuko can't stop himself from snapping at her. "You think I care?"

"I think you do."

"You don't know me, so why don't you just mind your own business!" He turns away from her.

Then the voice in the wind flows into his ears again. "I know you."

Zuko's whole body stiffens and he turns back to her, fire in his veins. "What did you say?"

Ty Lee also gets tense. "I said, I know you."

"No, you don't." It takes everything in him to not jump her this instant. "You're stuck in your little Ty Lee world, where everything's great all the time."

"Zuko, leave her alone." Mai says.

The prince ignores her. "'I'm so pretty, look at me. I can walk on my hands.'" He launches himself into a handstand but can only keep it up for about a second before falling to the sand. "Circus freak!"

Azula laughs, and Ty Lee snaps at them through her tears. "Yes, I'm a circus freak. Go ahead and laugh all you want." She glares pointedly at Azula, who doesn't meet her eyes. "You wanna know why I joined the circus?"

"Here we go," Azula says, sounding bored.

"Do you have any idea what my home life was like, growing up with six sisters who look exactly like me?" She stands up, her anger rising. "It was like, I didn't even have my own name." She falls to the ground, tears falling onto the sand. "I joined the circus because I was scared of spending the rest of my life as part of a matched set. At least, I'm different now. Circus freak is a compliment!"

Mai smirks. "Guess that explains why you need ten boyfriends, too."

Zuko sits up to see them better as Ty Lee glares at Mai with her hands on her hips. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Attention issues. You couldn't get enough attention when you were a kid, so-" she avoids her friends eye "-you're trying to make up for it now."

"Well, what's your excuse, Mai? You were an only child for fifteen years, but even with all that attention, your aura is this dingy, pasty, gray..." Ty Lee moves closer and closer to Mai with each accusation.

"I don't believe in auras," Mai interrupts with no emotion showing on her face.

Zuko lifts himself up off the sand, still frustrated with her from the party. "Yeah, you don't believe in anything."

"Oh, well, I'm sorry I can't be as high-strung and crazy as the rest of you."

Zuko steps closer towards the fire and towards Mai. "I'm sorry, too. I wish you would be high-strung and crazy for once." Mai looks away as he keeps getting closer and closer. "Instead of keeping all your feelings bottled up inside. She just called your aura dingy. Are you gonna take that?"

Mai lays back carelessly on the rock she is sitting on. "What do you want from me? You want a teary confession about how hard my childhood was? Well, it wasn't. I was a rich, only child who got anything I wanted. As long as I behaved... and sat still... and didn't speak unless spoken to. My mother said I had to keep out of trouble. We had my dad's political career to think about."

"Well, that's it, then. You had a controlling mother who had certain expectations, and if you strayed from them you were shut down. That's why you're afraid to care about anything, and why you can't express yourself," Azula states.

"You want me to express myself?" Mai gets in the princess's face. "Leave me alone!"

Seeing Mai in his sister's face brought a warmth to Zuko that he never felt for her before. "I like it when you express yourself." He reaches out to put his hand on her shoulder, but she backs away.

"Don't touch me. I'm still mad at you," she barks, her face set in stone.

"My life hasn't been that easy, either, Mai."

Mai interrupts Zuko before he can say anything else. "Whatever. That doesn't excuse the way you've been acting."

Ty Lee chimes in. "Calm down, you guys. This much negative energy is bad for your skin. You'll totally break out."

Suddenly an image flashes through Zuko's mind. This time it's not about his father or sister, but instead it's of a golden-eyed girl brushing her thumb right below his scar as she cupped his face. "Bad skin?" Zuko glares at her and a growl slips through his teeth, and the girl flinches when she sees his face. "Normal teenagers worry about bad skin. I don't have that luxury. My father decided to teach me a permanent lesson on my face." He points towards his scar.

"Sorry, Zuko, I..."

He walks away from them as his anger and frustration multiples. "For so long, I thought that if my dad accepted me, I'd be happy. I'm back home, now my dad talks to me. Ha, he even thinks I'm a hero. Everything should be perfect, right? I should be happy now, but I'm not. I'm angrier than ever and I don't know why."

"There's a simple question you need to answer then." Azula says as she leans forward, her eyes are studying her brother. "Who are you angry at?"

"No one." He looks down, "I'm just angry."

Mai jumps in. "Yeah, who are you angry at, Zuko?"

"Everyone..." He covers his ears, trying to block out the girls. "I don't know." I don't know, I don't know!

Azula leans closer, tilting her head. "Is it Dad?"

"No, no!"

"Your uncle?" Ty Lee asks.

"Me?" Azula pushes in.

"No."

"Then who? Who are you angry at?" Mai pushes her way into the conversation.

Azula balls her hands at her sides. "Answer the question, Zuko."

Ty Lee begins to plead. "Talk to us."

Zuko's never been more confused or scared as he sits there and listens to the girls around him bombard him with a question he's not sure he can answer. His thoughts are in a whirlwind, blending together at a high velocity that make his brain feel like mush.

Mai steps closer as she presses. "Come on, answer the question."

"Answer it," Azula demands, her impatience growing stronger.

And then, suddenly, the prince breaks open like a dam holding back a tsunami for longer than it should have. "I'm angry at myself!" He throws his arms down aggressively and the campfire bursts into a massive column of flames. The girls cover their eyes to protect themselves from the fire as the wind and embers fly through his blowing hair, but Zuko stares into it. And in that fire, in that beautiful column of flame, is the silhouette of a figure all too familiar to Zuko. Her fiery curves twist and move as she leans down towards the prince. She looks like she wants to whisper something to him. The fire burns out and it goes dark.

"Why?" Azula asks gently, which surprises Zuko more than anything that has happened tonight.

Zuko shakes his head and looks out at the sea, turning his back to them. "Because I'm confused. Because I'm not sure I know the difference between right and wrong anymore."

"You're pathetic," Azula sneers. 

Mai puts her arm around the prince's waist when she reaches him. "I know one thing I care about," she smiles at him. "I care about you." She leans in to kiss him, but he steps out of her grasp. Especially after all this, he can’t do it. She looks hurt, but he can’t do it anymore.

Azula starts clapping slowly. "Well, those were wonderful performances, everyone."

"I guess you wouldn't understand, would you, Azula," he remarks. "Because you're just so perfect."

"Well, yes, I guess you're right. I don't have sob stories like all of you. I could sit here and complain how our mom liked Zuko more than me, but I don't really care." She stares at the burning embers left from the fire. "My own mother...thought I was a monster." Ty Lee looks at her with concern. "She was right, of course, but it still hurt."

Zuko never knew that it bothered her, she always seemed not to care about their mother's favoritism. It has never occurred to him before. But, he understands her. It's the same with the prince and his father. All these years and he never thought to think his sister also felt anything other than pride and anger.

"What Lo and Li said came true. The beach did help us learn about ourselves." Ty Lee picks up a smooth stone. "I feel all smoothed. I'll always remember this."

* * *

Hana watches in horror as the man sends another beam towards the Avatar. When it hits a pillar of stone, it explodes and Aang is sent flying into the air. As he falls back downward toward the earth, the bison flies to him and the boy is able to reach up and grab the animal, pulling himself into the saddle. Katara crushes the air out of his lungs as she squeezes him.

Aang is panting, out of breath. "I'm okay."

"Well, that was random," Toph says from beside Hana.

"I don't think so. I get the feeling he knows who we are." Katara looks at Aang, worried.

Hana leans back against the edge of the saddle as Katara, Aang and Sokka fall into a discussion of where to run away to this time. Finally, the exhaustion catches up to the firebender. Not only the exhaustion of running away day after day, but the tiredness that comes from being away from her family for so long. She didn't realize how much she missed them until she saw them all again in her dreams. Her eyes sting with tears as her thoughts begin to torture her.

When she set off on her trip, she didn't think it would be rainbows and sunshine but she didn't think it would be this. She didn't know she'd be looking for a new place to sleep every night, or would spend days not knowing if she'd get to eat. And she sure didn't think she'd fall in love and have her heart ripped out all in the course of a month. She misses her family. They might not have been rich or lived in a luxurious home but she had a home and food on the table and people who loved her. God, she couldn't help but think that if she could go back and re-do it, she'd stay home after the Fire Prince left.

"Hana!" The sound of her name breaks Hana from her thoughts to discover everyone staring at her.

"What?" Her voice is strained and she doesn't catch it in time to stop them from hearing it.

It's Katara who blinks before answering in a gentle voice. "We made it to the next campsite. We've been trying to get your attention for the last two minutes. Are you okay?"

Hana presses her lips together in a thin line as she jumps down from the bison and takes off towards the trees. She only gets a few steps before running straight into a pillar that Toph bends up from the ground.

She collapses to the ground, cursing before turning to look at them with wide eyes. A fake smile pulls at her features. "I'm fine," she barks as she feels her eyes start to water. "I'm fine," she murmurs weakly.

The Avatar walks to the girl with the others close behind and he places a hand on her shoulder. "No, you're not."

"You cry every night when you think we’re asleep," Toph replies as she stands on the other side of the airbender.

"Even in your sleep, you whimper and say things," Sokka kneels next to her.

They’re all looking at her like how she would look at her younger sisters whenever one of them would scrape their knee. She feels a pressure in her chest, a painful pressure that makes her choke for air. She wants to keep it all bottled up, and needs to keep it together. She's the oldest. She needs to keep it together for them. Needs to be their rock. Even knowing all of this, the bottle starts to crack until finally it explodes and she bows her head to hide her face.

"Everyday is hard, so much harder than the last. I'm losing it. I can't sleep, can't eat. I don't know what I'm doing and you all hate me." The words begin to spill out of her mouth like rushing water, releasing the words she's been too terrified to even admit to herself. "I've tried to do my best to get you to trust me but I'll never be a part of your team and I just need to get over it but I can't. Because I know that you all feel this way because I was with Zuko."

She squeezes her eyes shut from the pain of uttering his name aloud. "I'll admit it. Fine, I'll say it. He was the first man I ever loved. It was  _ real _ and  _ true _ and  _ pure _ . Then it shattered and I don't know what to do with myself. I want to be better, I don't want to hurt anymore." She pauses as she looks at each of them. "I never came out here for him. I'm here to give my people a second chance of living a good life but he- he just happened to be a casualty. But now he's here and I can't get rid of him. I don't know what happened. I just met him and it's like I grew a third arm. He became a part of my body." Her voice is twisted with pain.

She drops her face into her hands as she begins to shake, sobs breaking through her lips as tears pour from her burning eyes. Her body feels hot, like it would be too hot to be touched but then, she feels a pair of arms wrap around her neck. Then another around her waist. And her side. And finally another head comes to rest on her shoulder. She's silent for a moment, all sobbing ceased as she takes in the action. Then, she breaks down harder.

How could she have been so blind? Trying to harden herself to them when somewhere along the way, they began to trust her... and care about her. They care about her. She feels her heart soften almost completely, more than it's been since that day in Ba Sing Sae. They stay huddled together for a long while until Hana's cried out and she can reciprocate their love.


	21. The Avatar and the Firelord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fingertips run down her back and make her jump. When she turns around, she finds the waterbender standing behind her. It's strange for Katara to be this close to her. Hana truly thought she would never have chosen to be that close to her but here she was, inches from her with a hand reaching to her.
> 
> "Your back," she says, her voice just above a whisper. "Those markings. What are they?"
> 
> "They look like dragon scales," her brother adds as he traces down her shoulder just like her sister had.

  
  


> “Make no mistake, Marin...a Dragon Guardian may not always be the one sitting upon the throne, but she is the protector of the entire realm.”
> 
> ― Aida Jacobs, _Dragon Guardian: Fire_

  
  


Hana and Zuko are sitting on top of a soft, red blanket on the beach watching the sunset. The beach is completely deserted except for the two. The only footprints in the sand are theirs coming to a stop where they sit now. The sky is a mix of reds, oranges, and yellows. The waves are slowly crashing onto the shore in front of the couple, stopping a few feet inland before receding back into the ocean.

As beautiful as the sight in front of the prince is, he can't keep his eyes off of the woman seated to his right. She's draped in traditional Fire Nation clothing, red and orange silks hanging off of her body, and resting on top of her head is the Fire Lady hairpiece clasping her hair in a bun. A few strands of stray hair dance with the delicate breeze and Zuko pushes them back into place.

She looks older. Maybe five- six years older. Older, but better.

Hana's smile is relaxed and her hand taps a graceful melody on his forearm. The prince's gaze shifts downward to watch her hand, finding her mother's ring glinting in the setting sunlight on her finger. The sight shocks him for only a moment before the thought makes a wide smile across his face and his heart grow bigger in his chest.

She turns her head towards Zuko, her golden eyes shining in the sunlight. "This feels just like old times. Doing absolutely nothing but sitting together and enjoying the view. I've missed it." She stretches her legs out, her bare toes wiggling in the sand.

"So have I," he confesses.

"It feels good to be away from the palace for the week." She leans in towards Zuko, the soft pads of her fingers stroking her cheek. "You've been so busy that I've hardly seen you."

The prince collects her hand and brings it to his lips, placing a kiss against her palm. "I know, but being Fire Lord comes with a lot of responsibilities." The words come so naturally to him, like he was meant to say them but his brain isn't picking up that what he is saying is absolutely mad. Fire Lord? Him? It can't be but here he is, the words so easily falling out of his mouth.

The smile she gives to him could put a thousand sunsets to shame. "That's true, you have done an amazing job at it so far, Fire Lord Zuko." She leans in closer to him.

As her lips meet his and her arms wrap around his neck, her fragrance, the smell of lavender and ash, engulfs him. His arms circle her waist, pulling her closer as their lips move together with a movement so tender it's dizzying. One of her hands tangles into his hair and she gives a gentle pull, earning herself a growl from Zuko.

She leans back a fraction and her lips brush against his. "I love you, Zuko."

The prince grasps her chin, leaning her head back to stare into those eyes that he couldn't imagine living without. "I love you too, Han. More than anything." He declares, honesty shaking his bones.

He pulls her soft lips back to his more roughly than before, kissing her the way that causes her breathing to hitch. Hana shivers against his chest as he slowly runs his fingers down the curve of her spine. She gasps inwardly but pulls him even closer like the prince knew she would and he-

He's startled awake by the sound of footsteps in the hallway just outside his door. He hastily pulls the blanket to the side and rushes into the hall to investigate. As he opens the door, a mysterious cloaked figure disappears down the hall and out of view as he gazes down the hall. Zuko starts off after the figure but he's distracted by a scroll placed upright in the hall.

He picks up the scrolls and takes off down the hall but when he goes to turn the corner, all he finds is an open window the figure must have used to get in and out of the palace. Defeated, he returns to his room and opens the scroll. "You need to know the story of your great-grandfather's demise. It will reveal your own destiny."

He chides himself, knowing he should have been paying more attention to his history classes because he doesn't remember anything about his great-grandfather's death. He places the scroll on the table beside his bed as he runs his hand across his face.

He throws himself back onto his bed and within minutes his mind begins to wander back to his dream. He felt happy, the happiest he's been in a very long time. Not only was he happy, but she was too. They were together and content and for once, everything was at peace. Hana was his partner, all his. He wishes, that even for a second, the scene he dreamed about could still be a possibility.

That thought shocks the prince, causing him to propel himself straight up. Honestly, Zuko never really gave much thought about getting married, but now that he's seen what it could be like. He wants it, and he wants it with the beautiful and mystifying firebender. At the thought of the familiar ring on her finger, Zuko jumps back out of his bed and into the closet. It only takes a couple seconds to locate the small box from it's hiding place. Inside is his mother's golden ring, the only thing he has left of her.

It's a simple piece of jewelry. A gold band with rubies and yellow topaz gemstones lining half of the circle. He hasn't looked at it in a long time, not since the prince was a child. Seeing it on Hana's finger, even if it was just a dream, makes everything inside him just click into place.

\---

It seems that Avatar Roku visited Aang in a dream the night before and apparently this warranted a trip to Roku's home for them to talk. And that's how Hana found herself on the back of the Avatar's bison in the sweltering heat before the sun even rose. Aang positioned himself on Appa's neck, bending the elements to create their camouflage. He calls out the second it comes into view. Katara and Sokka are looking over Appa's saddle for a better look, the island is unnervingly desolate.

When the Avatar lands the bison Katara glances in Aang's direction, confused at the empty village before him.

Toph jumps from Appa's saddle and a wave of her horror crosses her features as her feet hit the ground. "An entire village. Hundreds of houses." A strong breeze moves a layer of tiny particles along the ground, brushing past their feet. "All completely buried in ash."

The group follows Aang as he walks towards a cliff. When they come to a stop and make camp, the Avatar separates himself before beginning to connect to the former Avatar. Hana becomes acutely aware of him. She wonders if the others could feel him too and they were just used to it or if it was just her. She can't concentrate on the work at hand, so she just sits down and watches.

After a moment of just watching the boy, Hana turns to look at the others in the group as they finish setting up the camp. She sees them with a fresh pair of eyes since she's all had proper, real discussions with them. Other than that, it feels as if a weight has been lifted off her chest; she's less angry and even happy at times. She's even improved her firebending while she's been with them. Although she's way past what her father taught her when she was a child, she knows he'd be proud of her.

"So what do you want to do while we wait?" Hana hears Toph ask from behind her.

"I think I saw a hot spring when we were landing," Sokka says. Hana can hear the excitement in his voice and she couldn't blame him, anything would be better than sitting and watching the Avatar all day. 

"That sounds nice," Hana says and when she turns around, they are all looking at her with mouths agape before Sokka and Toph begin to laugh. Even Hana can't hold back her smile.

\---

Zuko's mind has been filled with nothing but the scrolls and the unanswered questions that accompanied them all day. He walks through the palace when those questions become too much until he finds himself in a hall full of paintings of past and present Fire Nation Royalty. He searches through the faces until he finds his great-grandfather's portrait.

He stares at it until his sister finds him. "It's never too early to sit with the court painter, Zuko." She pats him on the shoulder. "Make sure he gets your good side."

He glares at Azula. He turns to speak to her as she continues down the hall. "Wait. I need to ask you something. What do you remember about our Great-Grandfather's history?"

Azula sighs, tuning back towards the prince with a bored expression. "Ah, Zuko. It's so strange how your mind works. Fire Lord Sozin began the war, of course. He spent his early years secretly preparing for it, but he was as patient as he was clever. He famously waited for the comet, later renamed Sozin's comet, and used its power to launch his full-scale invasion of the world. In the end, he died a very old and successful man."

"But how did he die?" He asks, needing to know the answer.

"Didn't you pay any attention in school, Zuko?" Azula begins to walk away. "He died peacefully, in his sleep. He was ancient."

He gazes up at the painting for a few moments before walking back towards his room with more questions than answers. He steps inside his room, closing the door behind him, hoping to get away from his sister and father and great-ancestors. He opens the scroll and reads it over for the hundredth time. He reads it again and again and again until the words become jumbled and his head pounds.

Zuko growls in annoyance and tosses the scroll aside. The paper falls on his lantern and the light shines through the parchment, becoming brighter after a second. Looking over, he discovers the light has revealed a secret message on the scroll. A new fire lights within the prince and he leaps from his bed to grab the scroll from atop the lantern.

_ The Fire Sages keep the secret history in the Dragon Bone Catacombs. _

He looks out the window to see it's near sunset and a plan forms in his head as he puts on his cloak. Easily, Zuko walks through the palace unnoticed, sticking to the shadows while keeping his footfalls silent. The light from the windows baths him in soft red light. A handful of Fire Sages are making their way through the halls and the prince moves further inside, careful of his movements until he finds a good hiding place.

He just needs to get to one person. One person, and all of his questions will be answered.

* * *

Katara lowers herself into the spring, letting out a sigh when she fully submerges herself. That calm and relaxation disappears once Sokka jumps straight into the steaming water. The earthbender laughs and smiles when he breaches the water's surface to see his sister's upset face.

Hana stands by the side, just watching them all before the waterbender's brother splashes water at her feet. "Come on, firebender. Afraid of a little water?"

She tosses the mud that coats her toes at him. He dips below the water, dodging the wet dirt and when he comes up again he just motions for her once more. Hana slips the robe off her shoulders, dropping it to the floor until she's in nothing but her chest wrap and shorts.

The warm water coats her skin like sunlight as she slides down into the water, letting it block out the sounds around her. The water slowly warms the poor girl, soothing the ache that clawed at her limbs from days of running and fighting. She kicks her legs to propel herself a few feet, reminding her of the days she used to spend on hot summer days with her father. No sisters, no mother. Just her and her father. Those days were a special treat.

She shakes the water out of her hair when she comes up. Fingertips run down her back and make her jump. When she turns around, she finds the waterbender standing behind her. It's strange for Katara to be this close to her. Hana truly thought she would never have chosen to be that close to her but here she was, inches from her with a hand reaching to her.

"What are you looking at?" Hana asks when she sees the girl's eye trail back down to her hide.

"Your back," she says, her voice just above a whisper. "Those markings. What are they?"

"They look like dragon scales," her brother adds as he traces down her shoulder just like her sister had.

"They look wicked," Toph says in a chipper voice. Sokka turns back to the shore to look at her, but remembers that the earthbender is blind and sinks further into the water.

Hana backs up from everyone, a little uncomfortable with the amount of touching and attention everyone else seems fine with. She explains to them what she had to the prince, and they take the information just as well as he did. That they can't be birthmarks, they look just like tattoos, that they have to be something more but Hana just shakes their theories away. She was born with them, she'll probably die with them. 

Since they haven't meant anything special now, why would they mean anything special in the future?

* * *

The Fire Nation prince is hiding behind a pillar, out of sight when he sees a Fire Sage walking through the large courtyard. The man stops in the middle of the courtyard floor, over a large medallion fashioned in the shape of a flower, and delivers a blast of fire into the center of the design.

The ground slowly opens to a hidden passage under the courtyard of the temple. The Sage disappears into the floor and a few moments later it closes to its original state.

Zuko sits behind the pillar and waits until it's safe for him to use the secret passage. When all is quiet, he advances towards the secret passage. He bends a blast of fire into the medallion just as the sage had. There's a clicking sound as the passage opens, and a spiral staircase is revealed. He travels through the dark chamber and down a hall lined with what appears to be the bones of dragons, all lined up along the walls of the hall.

Zuko comes to an ornate door with what appears to be a metal sculpture of Fire Lord Sozin. On the chest of the sculpture is a Fire Nation emblem and the prince knows what to do. He places his left hand over the emblem, delivering a powerful fire blast. The fire fills the door, pouring out from the statue's eyes, nose and mouth. As the door opens, cobwebs pull apart and fall to the side of the door.

Entering the room, Zuko slides his hood off his head, raising his lantern to look around the dark chamber. The room is filled with a collection of artifacts and various vessels. A large and intricate dragon statue sits in the middle of the room and under the dragon's head the prince finds what he's looking for: rows upon rows of scrolls standing up along the dark surface.

He lifts the one on the end up, unrolling it, to see a painting of Fire Lord Sozin. It's the same portrait that is in the hall of portraits but there is one difference. There, wrapped around his left arm, are tattoos of red dragon scales. Just like the ones on Hana's back. Zuko drops the scroll, letting it flutter to the ground before pulling out the next parchment.

_ As a young boy, Sozin was best friends with Avatar Roku. After Sozin was named the Keeper of the Dragon's Scale and Roku became a fully realized Avatar, their friendship became strained to the breaking point as Sozin desired the Fire Nation to encompass the world, a plan to which Roku was strongly opposed. Following a hostile confrontation over this which ended in Sozin's defeat, neither spoke to the other until they were both very old. Sozin betrayed his old friend to his death and began waging war. Fire Lord Sozin was the instigator of the War and the Fire Lord before his son, Azulon. He was grandfather to Iroh and Ozai and great-grandfather to Zuko, Azula, and Lu Ten. _

_ Using the fire-enhancing power of a comet, Sozin eradicated the Air Nomads to try to eliminate the next Avatar, but failed. He spent the last years of his life hunting the new Avatar in vain. Shortly before his death, he regretted all he did. _

"That can't be it." Zuko shifts the scroll around, checking the other side to find it blank. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. The prince came down here looking for answers, not more questions. His head pounds as his anger grows. Dragon's Scale? Betrayal? Regret? This account is nothing his father or teachers taught him.

He picks up the discarded paper from the floor before running out of the tunnels. He can't care about being seen or heard, only the task at hand. Once he's above ground, sprints in the direction of the prison. It doesn't take him long to make it to the large concrete building. He passes by the guards without another thought, slamming the door to the cell behind me as he enters. Zuko's uncle is sitting with his head down - his hair hangs in tendrils that loosely lay about his face.

"You sent this, didn't you? I found the secret history. Which, by the way should be renamed ‘the history most people already know.’ The note said that I needed to know about my great-grandfather's death, but he was still alive in the end."

Iroh looks up to his nephew. "No...he wasn't."

"What are you talking about?" Zuko's whole body tingles with confusion and frustration.

"You have more than one great-grandfather, Prince Zuko. Sozin was your father's grandfather. Your mother's grandfather was Avatar Roku."

"Why are you telling me this?" He shouts as he starts pacing.

"Because understanding the struggle between your two great-grandfathers can help you better understand the battle within yourself. Evil and good are always at war inside you, Zuko. It is your nature, your legacy. But there is a bright side. What happened generations ago can be resolved now... by you. Because of your legacy, you alone can cleanse the sins of our family and the fire nation. Born in you, along with all this strife, is the power to restore balance to the world."

Iroh removes a brick from behind him and reaches for a bundle. He's slowly unwrapping the bundle while he walks back towards Zuko. "This is a royal artifact. It was worn by the Keeper of the Dragon's Scale while they learn to take over the throne. Though this hasn’t been for many, many years."

The prince reaches out and takes the head dress from his uncle's hand. He holds the artifact while Iroh stands quietly, looking at his nephew as a soft light glows from above his cell. "That title - the Keeper of the Dragon's Scale. These marks-" Zuko pulls out the parchment with Sozin's photo and points to the marks "-what are they?"

Iroh nods, taking a seat in his cell. "Once, decades ago, the Fire Lord was not chosen by the blood of the royal family. It was chosen by those marks. Those Dragon Scales were said to be the gods choosing the rightful Lord of the Fire Lands. Your great-grandfather was the last keeper to be seated on the throne."

"Why was he the last?"

His uncle sighs. "Because your great-grandfather ordered for the next keeper to be killed so that his bloodline may keep reigns on the Fire Nation."

The information makes Zuko's legs turn to jelly and he slides down the cold stone wall. Killed. They were all killed. Everyone like Hana. Everyone who had her markings were killed. Those beautiful, graceful, breath-taking markings made her a target.

"How many?" Zuko asks.

"What do y-"

"People. How many people were killed because of my great-grandfather?"

Iroh shakes his head. "I'm not sure. Once one keeper dies, another one is born but it takes some time for the next to be found and named. After a few died, the others started to go into hiding but it was never long before they were found and executed. I can't put a number to it but I'm sure dozens were murdered during my father's rule and a dozen more during your father's-"

"No," Zuko says and he feels the word vibrate in his chest. The truth of it spreads through his body like warm honey. "No one has died during my father's rule because the Keeper of the Dragon's Scale was born when I was and she's still alive. The next Fire Lord is still alive."

Zuko rises and leaves the cell after he places the head piece inside his cloak and walks back to the palace.

* * *

Everyone's silent after they hear the story of the former Avatar and Fire Lord. They don't know what to say, don't know what they could say. "You mean, after all Roku and Sozin went through together... even after Roku showed him mercy, Sozin betrayed him like that?" Katara sighs, all color drained from her face.

"It's like these people are born bad," Toph replies after a moment.

"No, that's wrong," Aang speaks up. "I don't think that was the point of what Roku showed me at all."

Sokka looks at him, confusion and frustration digging deep in his face. "Then what was the point?"

"Roku was just as much Fire Nation as Sozin was, right? If anything, their story proves anyone's capable of great good and great evil," the Avatar chews on his lip. "Everyone, even the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation have to be treated like they're worth giving a chance. And I also think it was about friendships. I can't help thinking of Zuko."

Hana doesn't even register his name, let along the rest of the words that the rest of the group are saying. They're all muffled and muddled, like her head is underwater while they're on land. She's trying to keep her breathing even and her hands from shaking but she's never had to digest information so fast. Let alone information that's changed her entire life.

For better or for worse.

Toph tilts her head. "Do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?"

Aang grabs Toph's hand. "I don't see why not." Katara reaches out to hold Aang's other hand.

"Well, scientifically speaking, there's no way to prove that," Sokka leans back. "Besides, who cares now that we've got the next Fire Lord on our side, right?"

The Avatar turns to his friend, the question written on his face. "What are you talking about?"

Sokka's face lights up. "Those marks you showed us on Sozin are also on Hana's back. We all saw them when we went to the hot spring. And she's a firebender so if the stories you say are true then she's suppose to be the next-"

"Sokka, stop," his sister says. "Just take my hand." Sokka presses his lips together, and without moving, he thrusts out his hand to hold Katara's.

Toph goes to grab Hana's hand but she pulls back harshly when she feels the earthbenders fingers graze hers. Everyone goes deathly silent again as the firebender lifts herself off the ground. "I- I'm sorry I just-" She doesn't finish her sentence before she turns on her heel and walks away from them.

* * *

Zuko and Hana are walking through the woods, him taking her hand to lead her the rest of the way. She hears him tell her that he's found a place he thinks she'd love. No matter how many times she asks, he won't let a single detail slip. They reach a wall of vines and only then does he turn to look at her.

Excitement burns visibly in his eyes and he's wearing a smile that takes her breath away as he pulls the vines away to reveal a glorious lake. It's crystal clear and as blue as the sky and in the middle rests a piece of land housing a giant cherry blossom tree. Fireflies light up the surrounding area and the various color wildflowers that line the water.

"When I found this place I couldn't wait to bring you here." He raises her hand to his lips. "I knew you'd love it the second you set your eyes on it and I couldn't wait long enough to see that look."

The breath is stolen from Hana's lungs at his words. She turns in a slow circle to look at him and sees his eyes are full of horror. She tries her hand up his arm to his chest but she feels a warm, sticky sensation and when she pulls her hand away, his blood is coating her fingers. A strangled whimper escapes her throat. An arrow is sticking out of the middle of his chest, right next to his heart. He slips out of her grasp and to the ground. She grabs him violently.

"No, no, no," she begs desperately as her fingers circle his wound. Her fingers are shaky but she carefully removes the weapon from his body. "Come on. You can't do this. You'll be fine. Please- you have to be fine."

He places his hand on hers, drawing her eyes to his. "What does it matter?" His face is cold and suddenly Hana is terrified, more so than she was before. "You were going to take my life away from me anyway."

"What are you-" Her voice is barely a whisper.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. The Fire Lord. You were always gonna take it. You were always going to take my life."

Suddenly his body is gone and Hana's alone in complete darkness. She crumples onto the cold, hard ground, her face buried in my hands. Sobs convulse through her body as the wind whispers into her ear, 'your fault. It's all your fault.'

Hana jolts awake from a nightmare with a scream. It's the worst one she has ever had, by far. Sweat is pouring off her face and when she puts her hand up to her chest, she can feel her heart racing. She scans the campsite to find that everyone is still asleep. She sits up and reaches around to graze the skin of her back. She digs her nails into her skin, wanting nothing more than to remove the red marks that have blemished her skin for her entire life.

She won't be able to save him. Or anyone.


	22. The Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "My mother sang it to me as a kid whenever I had a bad dream," Hana says. "And then she taught it to me to sing it to my sisters when she was gone so that when they had bad dreams or missed them. Turns out it'd be missing them more than nightmares so I ended up singing it a lot."
> 
> Hana looks down to see that the boy laying across her is already asleep, eyes closed and breathing even. She pulls a blanket over them. She closes her eyes and a familiar pair of eyes chase her to unconsciousness.
> 
> It's the best thing in the world when she wakes up to find her legs are completely asleep, but so is the Avatar.

  
  


> “When the hammer shall fall upon the dragon, a new king shall arise, and none shall stand before him.”
> 
> \- George R.R. Martin

  
  
  


The Day of the Black Sun is getting closer and closer, therefore everyone is putting more effort into training. And the earthbender thought it'd be best if Hana tried training blind. Literally blind. As she trains she's not allowed to take the blindfold that Toph wrapped around her eyes off. At first she was being pelted left and right with earth but she gradually started to get better. Now, Hana's actually pretty good sensing the land around her and focusing the heat into her body at one point.

Honestly Hana does find it a little strange. The earthbender's teaching her to feel heartbeats and hear someone's breathing. The Avatar is having some trouble with the technique as well, so it makes her feel a little better on not picking it up quickly. Although along with the blindness, Hana is also trying to concentrate her fire in one spot. She'll never be able to lightningbend without months of work but maybe, just maybe she'll be able to up the degrees of her fire. Do more damage.

After everyone is sweaty and tired, Sokka leads the four through bushes and trees, until they break through a large hedge into a clearing. In front of them is a large field currently occupied by sleeping Koala-Sheep in the field.

"This is it, the official rendezvous point for the invasion force," Sokka says.

"How did you pick this place?" Toph asks as she seats herself on the ground.

"Before we split up, my dad and I found this island on a map. It's uninhabited, and the harbor surrounded by cliffs seemed like the perfect secluded place," Sokka replies as he rolls up the map.

Hana doesn't think it's a bad idea. Actually, it's a pretty damn good idea. Something she never thought the waterbender's brother could put together on his own. Thank goodness for his father. It makes Hana miss her dad for a moment as she prepared for bed. 

"Nice choice Sokka. And we're here four days ahead of schedule." Katara looks at him as she sits on her sleeping bag.

The Avatar flinches. "Wait." He shoots out of bed and high into the air. "Four days! The invasion's in four days!" His face is horrified.

Sokka yawns. "Whatever. That's like... four days from now." He lays back onto his mat. "Let's just calm down, and ..." Nothing but snores leave his mouth for the rest of the night.

Hana huffs a breathy laugh as she covers herself with a blanket. "I wish I could fall asleep that fast."

"Sokka's got the right idea Aang. We're here, we're ready." Katara lays down on her mat. "The best thing we can do now is get plenty of rest."

Aang looks around frantically for a friendly face in the cloud of haze but everyone seems to be going to sleep. "I guess." He curls up on the grass as Hana closes her eyes.

* * *

It's been a few days since Zuko met with his uncle and ever since he's been digging through notes and books about the Dragon's Scale. He spent countless hours milling through the underground tunnels looking for any sign of the people who were killed because of their markings but so far the prince couldn't find any. So far, the only significant piece of information he could find was that before his great-grandfather, the Fire Lord was a woman named Pira. He found an old portrait of her in the tunnels, her marks wrapped around her neck and down her chest and shoulders. The clothing in her portrait looks like they were meant to show them off.

On day three he's drawn out of his task when a few servants enter the room. They pull him out of his chair and drap a robe around his shoulders, buttoning it up.

A servant steps forward with a bowl. "Fresh fruit, Prince Zuko?" He waves him away.

Another takes the place of the last. "May I wash your feet, sir?" Again he waves them away.

"Head massage?" He just looks away.

Another servant steps forward with a tray of some neatly bundled and steaming towels. "Hot towel?" He considers the option a little longer, maybe if he takes it they'd finally leave him alone, and then picks up a towel, rubs his face and places it back on the plate. The servant bows.

The large elaborate gate opens as the prince walks through. He's greeted by a large crowd of admirers and giggling females. He can't smile at them but he's proud that he was able to hold back a snarl. One of the girls gets overly excited by Zuko's entrance and has to be restrained by the guards. That doesn't stop the prince from rolling his eyes.

Zuko approaches from behind, he turns to see some servants carrying a beautiful and elaborate palanquin. "Prince Zuko, is something wrong? You didn't take the palanquin."

"I'm just going to Mai's house, it's not far," he replies, slightly annoyed by their coddling.

"It's not a prince's place to walk anywhere, sir." The servant says with a bow. Did he hate being banished from the throne and forced to walk the lands without promise of shelter or food? Yes. Was it a strange relief being able to do anything he wanted at anytime? Yes. If it weren't for that freedom he would never have wandered into an Earth Nation village and met her. Anyway, it was much better than everyone doing everything for him. He looks across the courtyard and then back at the Palanquin. He suppresses a sigh as he approaches it.

He's already leaping out of the palanquin when it finally arrives at Mai's. She's waving from a large ornate doorway and Zuko pushes past her into the house, pulling her with him.

"Hello to you too. I haven't seen or heard from you in a while." Her eyes scream concern but her face remains bored.

"I need to ask you something? I have a weird feeling about something," he says as he seats himself on her couch.

Surprisingly she smiles. "What do you want to talk about?" She turns away and pulls out a Pai Sho board.

* * *

Hana glances at the rest of the group as she approaches a very fierce, and very tired looking Avatar. He's training, lifting earth into the air and throwing it against anything in reach so Hana can only get so close. "Hey, how long have you been up?"

"A couple hours." Aang starts circling a tree, doing some fancy footwork and varying the type of punches. "I got a lot more skills to refine if I'm going to fight Ozai."

"You know there is such a thing as over-training." She doesn't try to hide the concern in her voice. It reminds her of how she would talk to her sisters when they miss their parents after they've been gone for long periods of time.

Aang gives a final punch, which reverberates through his body and the air around them. He collapses onto the floor and after a moment, all the leaves fall from the tree at once. Katara is looking on in disbelief as Sokka and Toph come out from hiding behind her. Hana walks closer to the boy. Aang, all wide-eyed and dark circles, holds up his hands in defense. Leaves fly from his body.

"You don't get it, do you?" Aang circles the tree again and continues a variety of air punches and defensive maneuvers. "My form is bad. I'm sloppy. And I still don't know any firebending, not even the basics." Katara walks up to him and moves his hand back down to his side.

Sokka is relaxing on the grass looking at his map. "That's okay, Aang. The eclipse will block all firebending anyway, you don't need to know any." He looks toward Aang. "Plus it's a stupid element."

Hana turns back to glare at him. "Excuse me." Sokka crawls back, and she's secretly glad that she still scares them. Even if it's only a little bit.

Aang raises his arms and continues his attempt of sloppy chops, punches and kicks. "I still have to work on everything else. I'd better spend the whole day training."

Aang bows quickly to his friends before creating an air ball and rides away on it. Sokka can't do anything but shake away his worry as he hides his face behind the map and Toph sits bored, totally unaffected by everything that has gone on that morning.

Hana walks over and sits back on her bed roll, Katara not far behind her. Toph turns her head in the firebender's direction. "Have you considered teaching him firebending?"

She's taken aback. It's true she considered it, but deep down she knows she's not good enough to teach the Avatar. She just shakes her head as a yawn is pulled from her mouth.

Katara leans over. "How long have you been up?"

"Longer than Aang." Her stomach growls and she feels her face heat up.

"I guess we should make some food." Katara stands. "Would you mind starting a fire?"

Hana pulls herself to her feet, stacking stray pieces of wood she gathered beforehand in a pile before lighting the tip of her finger and letting it all burn. Once the fire is roaring, Katara has the pot ready and filled with water. She places it on the fire and adds a couple chopped vegetables.

The Avatar still hasn't returned by the time the soup is finished, so Hana, with all her big sister senses, fills up a second bowl. "I'm going to bring this to him," she informs the group as she stands. Before leaving, she turns to Sokka. "There better be enough for me when I get back." He smiles at her, but her entire body is tense.

It didn't take her long until she stumbled upon the boy. He's airbending. It's sloppier than before he ran off. Hana can see the visible sweat trailing down his body as she gets closer.

"I brought you some food." She lifts the bowl to him.

"I'm not hungry, I need to keep training." He sends another blast of air and knocks a group of saplings over.

I walk over until I'm in front of him. "Come on. Sit. You need to eat to keep up your strength."

"I said I'm not hungry. I'm too stressed to eat." He goes to step around Hana.

She grabs his shoulders, fingers digging into his skin as she forces him to the ground. "And I said sit down and eat." Suddenly Hana is kicked into big sister mode, all scary and demanding but not without a caring undertone. "If I have to ask you again, I will force every bit down your throat and don't try to run because we both know I could pin you to the ground if I wanted to."

He looks up at the firebender, surprise, and only a tad bit scared, crossing his face before sitting down. She sits across from him and hands him the bowl. He looks at it for a few seconds before taking a sip.

After all that complaining and bickering, he finishes most of it. He looks up at her when he's more than halfway done and she gives an exhausted nod before he hands the bowl back to her and goes back to training. 

She sets the bowl down. "I'm going to leave this here in case you want to finish it," she calls out. Hana goes to leave but she stops and turns back. "And if you need to talk about anything, I'm here." He doesn't turn back but she sees that he gives her one nod before starting again.

* * *

Mai has won three rounds of Pai Sho. During that time, they find themselves talking about the days when they were kids. One particular story about how he knocked her into the fountain of the royal garden. 

She places a tile down before looking at the prince. "Being away for three years has really changed you. You seem, I don't know, different."

"Well, a lot of it was because I was stuck on a ship with no friends. It changes a person when you don't have anyone to talk to." Zuko places a tile down and she smirks.

Mai moves one of hers and picks up the one he just placed before adding it to the stack of tiles that she has collected. "You weren't alone the whole time." She pauses. "I can tell you open up. You're not so closed off anymore. Someone must be credited for this."

Zuko opens his mouth, but all the words are stolen from his mouth, so he pressed his lips tightly together. He thinks about what to say to her before he opens his mouth again. "Yeah, I guess I have. Huh? I guess I didn't even realize it."

Mai tilts her head, her face blank again. "That girl. The one Azula told us you were with. What was her name?"

Zuko has to bite his lip to keep the smile off his face. "Hana. Her name's Hana."

"What's she like?"

He snaps his head up. "Mai we don't have to-"

"No, I want to know. Tell me what she was like."

Zuko swallows and thinks about everything he could say. About the things he probably shouldn't say. "She's kind. Sometimes I think too kindly. One the first day I met her, she made us tea and at that time we were just beggars to her. And the time after that, she saved me from an armadillo-bear even after I brought a troop of Fire Nation soldiers to her village. And she cares. She cares so much about everything. She has two younger sisters and I don't think she stops thinking about them ever."

That's as much as the prince could say about her before his face starts to get hot and his throat begins to close up.

When he looks back to Mai again, she's got an emotion on her face that Zuko can't quite put his finger on. He doesn't figure it out on time before she turns away. And when she comes back to him, there's a smile replacing it. "I will win again."

"Tell me, if you can have anything you wanted right now, what would it be?" Zuko asks as he helps her clear the board.

She thinks for a minute. "A big fancy fruit tart, with rose petals on top."

This pulls a smile from the Fire Nation Prince. "You know, being a prince and all, I might just be able to make that happen."

Mai giggles. "That would be impressive."

He turns to the two Fire Nation servants in a curtained doorway. "Do you think you can find a fresh fruit tart for the lady, with rose petals on top?"

The guards bow. "Excellent choice, sir."

Mai puts the board and tiles away. "I guess there are some perks that come with being royalty. Though, there is annoying stuff too, like that all-day war meeting coming up."

The prince stands up. "War meeting? What are you talking about?"

Mai shockingly looks surprised as she answers. "Azula mentioned something." Zuko turns away. "I assumed you were going too."

"I guess I wasn't invited."

* * *

The sun has sunk deep below the horizon when Aang drags himself back to camp. He lets out a long yawn and falls back onto the ground. The rest of them watch on from their bed rolls.

"Goodnight Katara," Aang starts. "Goodnight Sokka. Goodnight Hana. Goodnight Toph. Goodnight Appa. Goodnight Momo. Goodnight Appa and Mo-"

"Go to sleep already!" Toph yells.

Hana leans against the bison's leg, looking at the stars. She connects the constellations to help herself fall asleep, her eyelids slowly getting heavier as her eyes move from one star to the next.

For once she thinks she's going to get a full night's sleep until she is being shaken awake. When Hana opens her eyes she sees the waterbender in front of her. She sighs, rubs the sleep out of her eyes and when she sees Katara again, she's nodding her head towards Aang's bed roll. "He should be sleeping," she sighs.

"So should I." Hana leans up on her elbow.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but he's having nightmares again and I don't know what to do," Katara says and Hana just nods.

When they find him, he's circling a group of Koala-Sheep. "Aang," Hana's voice is gentle as she shakes his shoulder. "It's the middle of the night. You need to go back to sleep."

Aang looks wild while he's still concentrating on the Koala-Sheep. "But I forgot my pants and my math test."

Katara sighs, and then breathes in deeply as she moves forward and grabs Aang's shoulders. Aang's very bloodshot eyes turn towards her. "Aang, sleep. Please... for me."

Then he just nods as Katara steers him back to the campsite, leaving Hana out in the field. She sighs, looking back up to the stars knowing she won't be able to get sleep for the rest of the night.

* * *

Zuko storms into the huge room to see Azula getting her hair combed with ornate gold combs by two servants while she sits in a pool of water. As he approaches her, she barely opens her eyes.

"Hello Zu-zu. If you've come for a royal hair combing, I'm afraid you'll have to wait."

He's standing over her, and for a moment he's glad to be looking down on her. "So I guess there's a big war meeting coming up, huh. And apparently I'm not welcome there."

Azula lacks her usual meanness, which makes the prince suspicious. "What do you mean? Of course you're welcome there."

"Oh yeah? I guess that's why no one bothered to tell me about it," he snaps, his arms crossed over his chest.

The two maids continue brushing her hair as she eyes her brother. "Oh Zuko, don't be so dramatic. I'm certain Dad wants you there. You probably weren't invited, because it's so obvious that you're supposed to be there."

"Well, were you invited?"

Azula reverts back to her usual smugness. "Of course. I'm the Princess."

The tingling sensation that comes with his anger returns. "And I'm the Prince!" 

"Exactly, so stop acting like a paranoid child. Just go to the meeting."

"Forget it, I'm not going," he barks as he storms out of the room and down the hall to his. He pulls open all the notes he's found in the last few days and pours them over the floor. His eyes trail over several accounts of the Keepers of the Past until they rest on the portrait of his great-grandfather. Beside it is a single glove that he gave Hana.

He picks it up to survey it, the edges are fraying and some parts are burnt, before ripping off a strip. It's not a clean tear and it's not even clean fabric but he could care less as he uses that strip to tie his hair up.

* * *

Hana's watching the sunrise. Everything's completely orange. A burnt orange that makes the sky look like it's catching on fire. The higher the sun gets in the sky it changes into yellow. It's peaceful and quiet, she can just barely hear the breathing of the others as they sleep.

She rises off the ground once the sun is higher in the sky to stretch her legs out. Just as she reaches her hands high up in the sky, Aang jumps awake, scaring the life out of her.

"Sokka get up! I need to know what day it is!" Aang runs to where the boy was sleeping and shakes him awake.

"What?!" Sokka jumps up, "Who's talking?!" Sokka thrusts his sword forwards, but hits a rock head-on before he can complete his swing. He falls back on to his sleeping mat, his body stiff.

Toph sits up. "Relax, it's still two days before the invasion."

Aang begins hopping around a sleepy Sokka, tugging on various limbs. "Sokka, you've got to get up and drill your rock climbing exercises."

"What?" Sokka finally sits up, fully awake and fully annoyed.

The Avatar looks unfocused and tired. "In one of my dreams, you were running from fire nation soldiers, trying to climb this cliff, but you were too slow and they got you."

Sokka springs up to stand before his friend. "But that was just a dream," he points out to Aang. "I'm a great climber."

Aang points upward at the large, steep cliff next to them. "Then climb that cliff. Climb it fast!"

Sokka looks up at the cliff summit, looking back at Aang and then pointing to himself. Aang nods and Sokka slinks off toward the cliff. He begins to climb, grumbling under his breath. "Stupid Avatar. Stupid cliff. Stupid dream. I can climb fast."

Aang looks relieved at Sokka's climbing skill. When he turns around to see Katara and Toph, he's knocking the water skin out of the earthbender's hand.

"Don't drink that!"

"Why, is it poisoned?" A very annoyed Katara waterbends the water off herself.

Aang's eyes are crossed. "In my dream, we were right in the middle of the invasion, and you had to stop to use the bathroom. We died because of your tiny bladder."

He doesn't listen. "And you-" he turns to Katara "-need to start wearing your hair up. In my dream, your hair got caught in a train, and-"

Katara holds Aang's face in her hands. "Aang, I know you're just trying to help. But you really need to get a grip. You're unraveling."

The Avatar looks extremely tired and has dark circles under his eyes. He seems like he wants to argue, but he just sighs. "You're right. I'm losing my mind. It's like every time I think about how stressed I am. I just end up more stressed." He starts pacing back and forth. "I'm like a big, growing snowball of nerves."

Sokka turns toward Aang. "Of course you are. That's cause you've got to fight the Fire Lord, the baddest man on the planet. And you better win, or we're all done for."

Aang's face is horrified and Hana turns around to slap the back of Sokka's head. "You're not helping!"

Sokka stands up. "What? It's true. That's the deal, he knows it." Katara pushes her brother down to the floor.

Katara looks on at Aang. He's shaking as Katara approaches him. "You know what? I've got just the thing." She places her arms on Aang's shoulders, smiling. "Get ready to be 'de-stress-i-fied'."

Katara leads Aang away from the campsite and Hana doesn't think it's a half-bad idea to relax herself. Take a bath, lay in an open field, hell maybe a nap if she can manage it. It's been a while since she's actually had the chance to relax and it feels great. One moment there's ground under her feet, dark ground hot to the touch from the afternoon sun, then there's water. Then, in a moment that felt so stretched... she sinks beneath the cold surface, arms dragging along the bottom of the waterfront. She stands, the water waist deep. Then, to Hana's surprise, what she hears is her own laughter. Between the water, the mud and the laughter, it has become a favorite memory. She knows her journey across the nations is burned in her memory like the markings along her back.

By the time she's walking back from her bath, Katara and Aang have already returned and the Avatar isn't looking any better.

"Why don't you get right down to business and tell me what's been bothering you." Hana hears Sokka ask the Avatar.

"You know what's bothering me. I have to fight the Fire Lord in a few days." Aang looks so much worse as Hana gets closer. He's snapping at his friends with every question they ask.

He nods and gestures toward Aang. "Tell me more about this, 'Fire Lord.' Why are you so afraid of him?"

"You said it yourself. He's the baddest man on the planet. I'm supposed to defeat him and save the world."

Sokka closes his eyes and nods deeply. "Life does feel that way sometimes, doesn't it? Like we're all trying to save the world from evil."

Aang looks as frustrated as Hana feels listening to this conversation. "Okay, but what can I do to feel better?"

"Want to try screaming into this pillow?" He hands his friend a Koala-Sheep.

Aang knocks the animals out of Sokka's hand and walks back to his bed rolls, collapsing onto the floor and turning his back to everyone else.

* * *

Zuko's pacing back and forth at Mai's place, looking out an open window. Mai approaches the prince from behind. "Zuko, it's just a dumb meeting. Who cares?"

"I don't."

He's still looking out into the distance as Mai stands beside him. "Well good. You shouldn't. Why would you even want to go?" Mai puts her hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Just think about how things went to the last war meeting you went to."

A shudder runs down Zuko's body. "I know."

"You know what will make you feel better? Ordering some servants around! I might be hungry for a whole tray of fruit tarts! And maybe a little palanquin ride around town... Double time!"

Zuko turns away from Mai. She backs away from the prince, looking worried. "Hey, hey, hey. Okay, not that. How about we talk about what you wanted to do before I interrupted you with Pai Sho?"

He looks up at the moon, the same moon that Hana's looking at right now. It's a small thought, but it's just big enough to make him feel more reassured than he's felt all day as he shakes his head.

* * *

After a full day of forcing Aang to eat and trying different methods of calming him down they've officially come to the conclusion that nothing is working. The sun is starting to set and Hana is more worried than anything about getting him to sleep through the night. While at the same time getting herself a night's sleep.

Her own exhaustion takes her into the dark, comforting sleep when a scream wakes her up. She jumps and turns to see Aang as he continues to scream. Everyone wakes up, Katara, Toph and Sokka rush over as Hana kneels next to him.

"Hey, calm down. Can you do that?" She places her hands on his shoulders.

Aang turns away from the group and slumps over, bowing his head to the ground. "The nightmares. They just get worse and worse. Nothing helps. There's only one thing I can do. I'm going to stay awake straight through to the invasion."

"I think it's my turn to help you relax." He looks over to the firebender. It takes him a moment to register her presence before giving a delirious nod.

"Lay your head here." She taps on her thighs.

The Avatar is too tired to register how strange the request could be and he lies back and lays his head on her legs. She starts running her fingers through his short hair. His shoulders begin to relax the more she runs his fingers through. He lets his eyelids fall shut.

"Better?" Hana asks.

He smiles slightly and that's all she needs. She lays back and watches the sun as it starts to multiply into stars. 

_Kan zhu shi jian bie rang ta zai liu lang_

_Cong qian wo tai gua ying bei shang_

_Ni de chu xian zai wu yi zhong que shen shen han dong wo_

_Yi qi zou zhao mei shuo shi mo xin shi man zu de_

"That's beautiful," he says. His eyes are still closed. "Where did you learn it?"

"My mother sang it to me as a kid whenever I had a bad dream," Hana says. "And then she taught it to me to sing it to my sisters when she was gone so that when they had bad dreams or missed them. Turns out it'd be missing them more than nightmares so I ended up singing it a lot."

Hana looks down to see that the boy laying across her is already asleep, eyes closed and breathing even. She pulls a blanket over them. She closes her eyes and a familiar pair of eyes chase her to unconsciousness.

It's the best thing in the world when she wakes up to find her legs are completely asleep, but so is the Avatar.

* * *

Even after an hour after the encounter with his sister, Prince Zuko still hasn't calmed down. He should be there. Right? He's not banished anymore. He's chewing on his lip as Mai walks into the room holding a tray with a teapot and two cups.

Zuko drops himself onto the couch as Mai pours tea into the cups. Ever since she began asking about Hana, they haven't said many more words to each other. Truthfully he doesn't want to be at her place anymore but he knows he doesn't want to be stuck in the palace while everyone else is at the war meeting.

That's at least what he thinks until a palace servant walks into the room. "Prince Zuko," he bows low to the ground. "Everyone's waiting for you."

He's off the couch in an instant. "What?"

"The high admirals, high generals, the war ministers, and the princess have all arrived." The messenger raises his head to the prince. "You're the only person missing."

He looks over to see that Mai is smiling at him. "So, my dad wants me at the meeting?"

"The Fire Lord said he would not start until you arrived, sir." He bows his head again. He finds it hard to breath as a smile is pulled slowly onto his face.

Zuko looks back to Mai once more, who nods her head, before he follows the servant out of her house and back to the palace to change into his official Fire Nation armor for the meeting. He's racing down the corridor to the Fire Lord's war room, his servants helping him tighten his armor shoulder pads. And then he pauses right in front of the war room's curtain entrance.

He takes a deep breath, a few seconds in and out, before raising both of his hands to part the curtain, revealing his presence. Then he's striding forward, a great persona of confidence overtaking him, towards his father. Before him there's a map of the Earth Kingdom spread out on a table and generals seated around the length of the table.

"Welcome, Prince Zuko. We waited for you," his father says to his son.

The generals glance at the prince as he walks past them. His sister, the princess, is already seated on their father's left. He gestures for his son to take the seat to his right. Zuko bows before sitting down. His father watches his every move.

The Fire Lord turns his gaze forward. "General Shinu, your report."

General Shinu bows his head in acknowledgement. "Thank you, sir." He stands. "Ba Sing Se is still under our control. However, earthbender rebellions have prevented us from achieving total victory in the Earth Kingdom."

The Fire Lord frowns at the news. "What is your recommendation?"

"Our army is spread too thin but once the eclipse is over and the invasion defeated, we should transfer more domestic forces into the Earth Kingdom." No matter how much he wanted to be there, he kept finding all of this extremely tedious and boring. The Earth Kingdom has never fallen, and it's very unlikely that it'll fall anytime soon.

The Fire Lord turns his head to his son before addressing him. He straights up instantly at the sound of his name. "You've been among the Earth Kingdom commoners. Do you think that adding more troops will stop these rebellions?" No. He knows that before he even finishes asking. The people of the Earth Kingdom are resilient and strong. He learned that among them. And on top of that they're kind. Letting people, strangers, who lost everything into their impenetrable walls. They would never give up. Strangely, the image of Hana flashes in his mind. Strong and brave and kind and good.

So good. Better than he'll ever be.

He drops his head. "The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong. They can endure anything as long as they have hope."

"Yes, you're right." Zuko can see his father's face as he gives an evil, lethal look. "We need to destroy their hope."

The prince's head snaps up. "Well, that's not exactly what I-"

Azula interrupts her brother. "I think you should take their precious hope." She weaves her fingers through her fringe and tosses it aside without a care. "And the rest of their land and burn it all to the ground." She looks across the table with a fierce fire burning behind her eyes.

"Yes." Their father nods his head, a sinister look growing across his face. "Yes, you're right, Azula." The princess smiles at the praise she was receiving. He gets up, walking towards the other end of the table. "Sozin's Comet is almost upon us and on that day it will endow us with the strength and power of a hundred Suns. No bender will stand a chance against us." Shock and fear runs through Zuko's body.

General Shinu eyes the Fire Lord. "What are you suggesting, sir?"

"When the comet last came, my grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, used it to wipe out the Air Nomads. Now, I will use its power to end the Earth Kingdom." Just like three years ago when Zuko spoke up to his father, the prince is mortified by his father's cruel revelation. "Permanently. From our airships, we will rain fire over their lands. A fire that will destroy everything."

He walks across from one side of the map to the middle of it. "And out of the ashes." He opens his arms. "A new world will be born. A world in which all the lands are Fire Nation and I am." He raises his arms high. "The supreme ruler of everything!" The generals burst into applause.

Suddenly Zuko feels sick. His stomach's turning over and he feels sweat form on his forehead. He can't allow this to happen. All of those people, they deserve more than this fate. He can't, he won't help him murder innocent men, women, and children. But his mouth won't open. The memory of his last defiance is burnt into his memory, and onto his face.

The Fire Lord dismisses everyone and Zuko finds himself bowing to him before making his way out of the room. He can't think of any reason why he wanted to come back in the first place. He exits the room, a few men and women are chatting outside in the curtains, Azula is among them.

He walks past them in the direction of his room, only wanting to get his hands back onto the notes and books hidden away in his closet. Mai is leaning on a pillar, as he passes. "So, how did it go?"

"When I got to the meeting, everyone welcomed me. My father had saved me a seat. He wanted me next to him. I was literally at his right hand," he answers as they keep walking.

"Zuko, that's wonderful." She places a hand on my arm. "You must be happy?"

They pause at the end of the hallway. The prince looks up at the large ornate picture of his father. "During the meeting, I was the perfect prince. The son my father wanted. But I wasn't me." He drops his head to his chest and rubs his face.

He leaves her in the hallway as he shuts the door behind him. "Hana, what should I do?"

He sits silently in his room waiting for the winds to pick up her voice again and carry it into his ears but it never happens. He rips off his armor, letting the pieces fall to the floor. Then, again, he's taking out the notes and books and studies them again and again and again until his vision becomes blurry. He rubs his eyes and starts to think about what he was going to do. Starting now, he knows he's going to be himself. Follow what he thinks is right and what he wants. And what he knows, more than he's known ever in three years, is that he no longer wants to please his father.


	23. The Day of the Black Sun - 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Why did you think it would be a good idea to bring my father here? How did you even find him?" Hana's blow-up silences everyone around them.
> 
> "I-" Sokka stutters over his words, not expecting that reaction from her. "You told me that your family lived in a merchant shop in the Earth Kingdom. It wasn't that hard to narrow down villages with merchant shops and then merchant shops that opened three years ago were smaller than that."
> 
> Hana's fuming at this point, regretting ever telling him anything about her family. "And you decided, all on your own, without including me at all, that you would have your father travel to find my parents, who never wanted to be found in the first place, and ask them to battle in a war they didn't even know was happening or had any need to be in?"
> 
> "I told my dad to tell them that you were going to be in it," Sokka tries to defend himself.

  
  


> “Don’t forgive people who don’t deserve it. Be as angry as you want - release the dragon.”
> 
> \- Katherine Royal

  
  


The morning of the invasion, Hana wakes up feeling better than she has in a while. At least she was able to see without another nightmare wrecking it. She can't remember the last time she had a nightmare-less sleep. But now she wishes she had a nightmare because now that she's awake, she's starting to get nervous.

She has to stop herself from chewing on her lip as she scans three maps overlapping one another. Two of them are maps of the Fire Nation while the other is a map of the World. Sokka, decked out in Water Tribe gear, is also studying the maps.

Katara hands Sokka and Hana cups of tea. Aang seemingly appears out of nowhere, making the firebender jump and almost spill her tea. "Top of the morning, Momo!"

Katara turns to him. "Sounds like you slept well."

"Like a baby mooselion, thank to Hana." She tilts her cup to him in recognition. "I'm ready to face the Fire Lord."

"So what's your strategy for taking him down? Going to get your glow on." Toph throws some faux punches. "And hit him with a little Avatar State action?"

Aang's early morning joy comes to a hault as he looks to the floor. "I can't. When Azula shot me with lightning my seventh chakra was locked, cutting off my connection to all the cosmic energy in the universe."

A large cloud of fog rolls into the land around them. "Oh no. Sokka, do you think the fog will delay the invasion?" Katara asks.

"No, that is the invasion," Sokka exclaims, a smile growing on his face.

They all pile onto Appa and when they break out of the fog, a dozen or so Water Tribe ships are minutes away from docking. The ships float towards each one of the docks and people start unloading themselves.

Katara and Sokka are running towards their father, the waterbender leaping to embrace him. "You made it Dad!"

"Were you able to locate everyone I told you to find?" Sokka asks.

"I did. But I'm a little worried, Sokka." Hakoda looks behind at the men who are descending from the ship. "Some of these men aren't exactly the warrior type."

Hana watches from the side-lines as people begin to walk onto the land that she didn't recognize but the others seem to. The waterbender and her brother welcome two men named Duo and Tho as well as their father's right hand man, Bato. Then it's a boy around their age named Haru and his father, Tyro. The earthbender even seems to know people as she recognizes more men, Hippo and The Boulder. Hana can't help but hold back a smile at their names.

Suddenly, the boat behind the one that all the men were walking out of explodes and Hana can't tell if she should be helping the people in the ship or attack them. It's a good thing she chose the former because the man and boy who walked out of the ship, covered in orange goo and coughing, are more people the group knows.

Finally, when Hana doesn't think any more people could come out of those ships the four others run to her, grab her by the arms and pull her towards the water.

"Don't think we forgot about you," Katara says.

Hana can't think of anyone who could walk out of the ship but her heart drops into her stomach when her father walks off the wooden boat. At first it feels like a dream. She rubs her eyes, thinking she could actually be sleeping still but when she opens her eyes again, her father's still standing before her.

"What are you doing here?" She asks.

His smile falls for a moment. "Your friend's father found your mother and I at our shop. He asked us to join him for the invasion."

"She's not here is she?" Hana looks around, hoping above anything that she doesn't walk out of the ship behind him.

Kaapo shakes his head and puts his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "No, she stayed behind with your sisters. We couldn't just leave them behind and we definitely weren't going to bring them into battle."

"They shouldn't have brought you into battle," she exclaims. 

With all the terror and worry out of her system, she suddenly fills with rage. And that rage almost explodes when Sokka slaps her back, pushing her into her father. "You don't have to thank me, firebender but if you feel so appreciative..." He stands there, only waiting for her undying thanks that when she turns around, her anger burning behind her eyes and her teeth bared, he actually takes a step.

"Why did you think it would be a good idea to bring my father here? How did you even find him?" Hana's blow-up silences everyone around them.

"I-" Sokka stutters over his words, not expecting that reaction from her. "You told me that your family lived in a merchant shop in the Earth Kingdom. It wasn't that hard to narrow down villages with merchant shops and then merchant shops that opened three years ago were smaller than that."

Hana's fuming at this point, regretting ever telling him anything about her family. "And you decided, all on your own, without including me at all, that you would have your father travel to find my parents, who never wanted to be found in the first place, and ask them to battle in a war they didn't even know was happening or had any need to be in?"

"I told my dad to tell them that you were going to be in it," Sokka tries to defend himself.

"I am a seasoned firebender who has honed my bending throughout the years. My parents are _merchants_. My mother isn't even a bender." Hana's barely breathing between words. "This is a war between us and the Nation they willingly fled. My father could be arrested. Do you have any idea what the Fire Nation does to traitors? Let me tell you, it isn't pretty. And I swear to everything good in this world if anything happens to him, I will end you myself."

Then Hana turns on her heel and storms away.

* * *

At one point in the night, Hana's father brings her dinner. Her anger has almost completely dissipated as her father ruffles her hair before taking a seat in the dirt.

"Don't you want to join everyone else?" Hana asks.

"And miss out seeing my daughter since she left on her grand adventure months ago? I don't think so." Has it been that long? She guesses it had been though it felt much shorter. Kaapo bumps Hana's shoulder with his when she doesn't reply. "Hey, lizard. Don't go hiding under your rock and don't you worry about me. I'm a big boy who knew exactly what he was doing when he joined Hadoka. Hell, your mom and I jumped at the chance to see you again and you know she'd be right next to me if she didn't have two little ones to look after. So I told her I'd look after our big one for her."

This gets Hana to smile. She hadn't realized how much she missed her father until he was right in front of her. And then all she could do was get angry and blow up. She peers up at Kaapo. "I'm sorry, dad."

He wraps his arm around the girl. "There's my lizard coming out from her hiding spot."

"Hey dad," she says. Kaapo looks down at his daughter. "Why do you and mom call me that? Lizard? You've been doing it ever since I was a kid but I never really knew why." The shock on her father's face spoke a million words to Hana, and answered the one question she had. "You knew, didn't you? You and mom always knew."

Kaapo drops his head before circling his other arm around his daughter and squeezing tight. "Of course we did."

Hana's voice is muffled against her father's shoulder as he continues to hold her tight against him. "Why didn't you ever tell me? I mean... if I'm supposed to rule a whole nation then don't you think I should have known sooner than now."

Finally, he pulls away but Hana wishes he wouldn't because the look in his eyes broke her. "You don't know. You don't know the full story do you?"

Hana shakes her head. "What are you talking about? Of course I do. I am the Keeper of the Dragon's Scale. Every Keeper is a Fire Lord. But I don't know why you and mom would keep it a secret my entire life. Try to tell me it's a birthmark. Always telling me to wear shirts that'll cover my back even during the hottest part of the summer."

Kaapo looks like he's trying not to cry as he folds his daughter back up in his arms. It's only then does he tell her that every keeper before her had died in a horrifying way due to Fire Lord Sozin's order. It's only then does he tell her about Juno, a girl he knew as a boy who carried the Dragon's Scale on her shoulder and how she was taken from her home when her mother was pregnant with her. It's only then does he tell her that her mother cried all night after Hana was born and she found the first scale growing on her back.

"We were never going to give you up," Kaapo finishes up. "And we were never going to turn you in so the only option we saw fit was to just raise you like a normal child and hope no one would ever find out our secret."

Hana's in tears by the time her father finishes his tale. "And the night we left?"

"It was because of the Agni Kai," her father answers her unasked question. "But it was also a perfect reason to finally flee. If that man could burn the face of his own son, then what could he do to our daughter. A girl he's never met and has the power to take everything from him."

After Hana shed her last tear, a new fire lit inside her. A fire to not only fight for a new future for her sisters and a new life for her people, but for her. For the people who held her mark one before and were snuffed out too soon. For the life she and her family should have been living. For the future she knows she can give everyone. For everything she could, and can still be.

Finally, as Hana was falling asleep in her father's arm, she was ready to fight.

* * *

The next morning, Hana's eyes are red-rimmed and bloodshot. She's tired, both physically and mentally, but she's also never been more prepared for a fight in her life. She joins everyone at the war meeting, both faces she recognizes and doesn't nod to her when she makes her appearance known.

Sokka takes a deep breath before walking out in front of the crowd. It makes Hana laugh slightly when he trips and has to pick up the scrolls he dropped to the floor. "So, as you know today we're invading the Fire Nation. I mean I know you know that." He laughs nervously. "Because otherwise why else would you be here. Anyway-" He's clearly too nervous to be the one speaking, dropping more scrolls to the ground before spreading them out onto the table.

"The Fire Lord's palace is here." Sokka points to the map. "Uhh no, wait," He flips to another map, then flips again, and again. "It's here," he points to the, hopefully, correct map. "And there's an eclipse today and Aang's going to fight the Fire Lord." He begins to panic, sweat visibly dripping down his forehead. "And the fire-benders won't have any fire to use so that's good for us and- I'm sorry, let me start at the beginning."

Sokka closes his eyes, trying to compose himself. "Katara and I discovered Aang frozen in an iceberg. Now I didn't like Aang at first but I grew to love him over time. Then we went over to the Southern Air Temple where Aang used to live and then we met Suki, who is a Kyoshi warrior. She made me dress like a woman and then she kissed me.."

Katara whispers to the original four. "Wow, when he says beginning, he means _beginning_ beginning."

"...and then Aang's friend was a crazy old man and then Katara got Haru arrested and then now he's grown a mustache." Hakoda gets up and approaches his son. "And if you look in the front row you can see him."

"Thank you, Sokka." Hakoda places a reassuring hand on Sokka's shoulder. "It's okay, why don't you take a break?" Sokka looks rather disappointed but obliges his father. "Let me just clarify a few points for everyone. Today is the Day of Black Sun and I want to thank you all for your self-sacrifice and your courage."

The Water Tribe warriors are attentively listening to their leader. "They're two steps to the invasion. A naval stage and then a land stage. To gain sea access to the Fire Nation capital, we have to get pass our first major obstacle here." He points to the center of the map. "The Great Gates of Azulon. Next-" he flips to another map "-we hit the land and we hit hard. We must fight past their battlements and secure the plaza tower." His finger points to tower on the map. "Once we do that-" his fingers move up the map to a structure on the map "-it's up to the royal palace. At that point, the eclipse will begin."

Sokka sits back down next to his sister and she places a hand on his shoulder, whispering in his ear. From the look on his face, it doesn't seem to do enough.

The Boulder raises his hand. "Excuse me, The Boulder is confused. Isn't the point to invade during the eclipse? When the firebenders are powerless?"

Hakoda shakes his head. "The eclipse only lasts 8 minutes. Not enough time for the whole invasion and the royal palace is heavily guarded by firebenders. So that's where we'll need the eclipse advantage the most. When this is finished, the Avatar would have defeated the Fire Lord. We would have control of the Fire Nation capital and this war will be over!"

Everyone cheers except Hana, her father and Sokka, who still looks like a kicked puppy. She grabs his arm. "Come with me," she says and she pulls him with her. She drags him to one of the docks before letting him go. "Let it out," she says.

He stands there just staring at her. She sighs. "Come on. You have something to say, say it. We can't fight this battle if you're going to pout the whole time so come on. Cry, kick, scream. Whatever works for you."

"Pout," he cries. "I'm just nervous. I'm allowed to be nervous. We're going into battle. How about you cry, kick and scream, huh?"

Hana takes a deep breath before replying. "I already did that last night. I think it's your turn."

Sokka flinches back at the steeliness of her voice and sighs. "I looked so stupid. I hardly made any sense out there. I kept dropping everything. My dad makes it look so easy. I failed. How am I supposed to be a warrior if I can't even talk like a normal person in front of a crowd?" The words fall out of his mouth snow in an avalanche.

She throws a playful punch on his arm. "Sokka, of course it's easy for your father. He's had years of doing it. I'm sure when he was your age he had problems being a good leader." He looks away from her eyes. "Hey, look at me." He sighs before looking back up. "Sokka, you didn't fail. You're learning. And you can't learn if you never fail, right?"

His face pinches together as he gives up a response. "Right."

"Good. Now buck up and pull yourself together." Past him, Hana sees Katara waterbending water from the river into her pouch. "Come on, we should help them get ready." She walks past him but he stops her by grabbing her arm.

"I'm sorry," he says, his voice barely a whisper. "For bringing your dad here. I just- You were right. I wasn't thinking about how dangerous it could be. I just thought you'd like to see your parents again."

Hana nods. "Thanks Sokka." She starts to walk away but stops when she sees her dad, smile on his face and chatting and loading the ships with the other men. "It is nice to see him again." She makes herself busy by helping the men load in more weapons and cargo. After a while, and the boxes get heavier, Kaapo asks his daughter to save her energy. She's quiet for a couple of seconds, until the waterbender sits down next to her. 

"Are you nervous about today? You could have to fight Zuko." Hana can tell she says his name hesitantly.

She doesn't look at Katara. "There's no guarantee that I'll see him today. And if I have any sort of luck, I won't."

* * *

Today has been hectic to say the least. Every servant, general and soldier has been running around to get ready for the nearing invasion. The Fire Lord told his children to be in the secret bunker underground in no less than an hour. The eclipse won't be in full effect for a few hours, but he doesn't want to take any chances. Most of the citizens left the night before.

Prince Zuko has locked himself in his room ever since the war meeting. He's made his plans for escape and doesn't want to risk the information slipping out, especially to his sister or father.

He removes the pin fastening his crown in place with one hand and the crown with the other. His hair falls around his face. He places both on the bed before taking the shred of cloth tied around his wrist and ties his hair back. Papers are scattered around the floor and Zuko takes the most crucial pieces of information, his great-grandfather's portrait, story and all the best bullet points about the Keepers of the Dragon's Scale. The rest he shoved underneath the floorboards, hopefully for no one to find.

He then sits down at his desk, smoothing out a sheet of paper with a wooden block. He stares at the paper for a moment before grabbing a brush, dipping it in the ink.

_Dear Mai,_

_I'm sorry that you have to find out this way, but I'm leaving. I am not the person that my father wants me to be. I have realized that I have to stop my father and do what's right for my nation, and for the world. This war has gone on for too long, it has hurt too many people._

_Thank you for being here for me. You have been great and I can't express how much it has meant to me. I'm sorry I couldn't be better to you. Stay safe while I'm gone. I hope we meet again._

_Z_

As the ink dries, Zuko walks to his closet to grab the bag from his house in Ba Sing Sae he never unpacked. He shoves the scrolls, some clothes and his mother's ring into the bag before snapping the bag closed.

He wraps his twin swords on his back. He doesn't know what he's going to do after he's dropped off Mai's letter, confront his father and escape the palace. He doesn't know how he's going to find the Avatar and his friends. He doesn't know what he's going to say to them if and when he finds them. Hell, he doesn't know what he's going to say to Hana when he finally sees her again.

But what he does know is that he will find her again. And he will fix everything he's done wrong.

* * *

The five Water Tribe ships are sailing towards the Fire Nation as soon as the sun rises. The closer they get to her home Nation, Hana feels her skin tingle and her heart race. She's been in the Fire Nation in these past few weeks but it felt different than this. She didn't have the weight of her people weighing her down.

Bato pulls Hana from her thoughts. "There they are." He's looking through a telescope. "The Great Gates of Azulon."

"I don't see any gates," Katara replies as she strains her eyes.

Hakoda turns his head. "Katara, you and the swampbenders whip up a fog cover. We'll sneak by those statues just like we sneaked by that fire navy blockade."

Katara and the swampbenders jump, make their way to the mast of the ship and raise their hands in a specific position. Almost instantly the boats are being rapidly covered in a thick fog. Hana can just barely see the statue of Azulon, but even just the large outline of his stone figure sends a shiver down her spine.

How many people died while under his rule?

"Keep it up, we're almost through," Hakoda calls out, keeping his eyes forward.

An alarm goes off. Smoke emits from a dragon statue's snout and nets rises above the fog. The alarm stops and fire shoots from the dragon's mouth, engulfing the net in flames. The net continues to rise out from the water while the fire slowly spreads.

The statue of Azulon now has nets of fire on both sides of its arms. The boats stop inches from the net. Their heads turn as the sound of Fire Nation jets pierce the silence. Hakoda ushers the invasion force. "Everyone below deck." Hana's father grabs her arm and rushes her down the steps of the ship.

Kaapo pushes Hana inside before letting the rest of the children inside and then himself. She watches in awe as the ship begins to submerge itself below the water's surface. The image of the clear blue water splashing against the side of the boat relaxes Hana more than anything has in the last few weeks. Schools of fish pass by the glass. She could stand there all day and watch the ecosystem under the water.

Hakoda pats his son on the back. "You really outdone yourself this time, son." The smile Sokka gives could put the sun to shame.

Toph is holding her head down. "Yeah. Congratulations, Sokka." When she looks up there's a look of discomfort on her face that she is not trying to hide. "You managed to invent a worse way of travel than flying."

Sokka waves off his dad, feigning bashfulness. "I just came up with the idea but The Mechanist did all the work."

"But don't sell yourself short, my boy. It was your idea to use waterbending to make the subs sink and float. Brilliant, though your original designs were a bit difficult to decipher." The Mechanist unrolls a scroll with a picture of a whale with people inside. "Unfortunately, there is one problem I couldn't fix. The subs have a limited air supply. Before we land on the beaches, we'll need to resurface."

While everyone is cheering or groaning or talking, Hana is being pulled to the side by Hadoka. "Hana, your father has told me nonstop that you are a very talented and strong girl. I want to ask you for a favor." He pauses, looking from Sokka to Katara before turning back to her. "I want to keep them safe while we're fighting. I know they're capable of handling themselves, but..."

His sentence dies on his tongue. "I will do everything in my power to keep them safe. And in return, I ask that you do the same for my father. Even if things were to go badly. I ask that you protect him and his identity."

"I promise it." He places a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad they have you with them."

A few minutes later the waterbenders bring the submarines up past the water's surface. They all spread out on the deck, doing what they see fit to ready themselves for battle.

Sokka clasps on hand on the Avatar's shoulder. "Are you ready for the Fire Nation to know the Avatar's alive?"

"I'm ready," he replies. Sokka grasps his arm, wishing him luck.

Toph is smiling. "I hope you kick some serious Fire Lord butt, twinkle toes."

"You've got this," Hana says as she rubs his freshly shaven head.

"Everyone listen up." The group disbands and looks to Hakoda, who is addressing the entire invasion force from the submarine's entrance. "The next time we resurface, it'll be on the beaches. So stay alert and fight smart. Now break time's over, back in the subs."

Hana finds her father in the submarine's hull and takes her in his arms for one last bone-crushing hug. "You be safe out there. Your mother would kill us if we don't make it back."

"And I never get to eat her famous pineapple curry. Never." She smiles up to him.

"That's my girl." He places a soft kiss on the crown of her head and doesn't truly let her go until the ship breaches water for the last time.

It's almost time.

* * *

Zuko's standing inside Mai's house, the Fire Nation palace in view outside the window. He walks through the room, his black cloak billowing behind him. He stops in her bedroom and places the scroll in front of a picture of the two. He stares at it for a moment before looking away. It's the right thing to do. If he told her in person, she would put herself in danger. She wouldn't let him leave without asking questions. Questions that might kill her.

He only has one more thing to do before confronting his father, and truthfully he might be stretching this out as long as he possibly can.

* * *

The earthbenders get into their tanks, Toph and the Earth Kingdom soldiers taking the lead. They approach the gate as an alarm sounds. Harpoons shoot out from various battlements into the water as the submarines try to dodge them.

One of the harpoons hits the hull, shaking it just enough to knock Hana to her knees. She curses but is cut off when she hears her father calling her name. She looks up to find him and instead finds the point of another harpoon just skimming the top of her head.

The ships are only out of the water for a few seconds before they land safely back into the water and continue on as if they weren't just attacked by dozens of harpoons. The submarines are heading towards man-made holes that are pocketed into the wall.

Hakoda is looking through the periscope. "Ready the torpedo." The load a torpedo encased in ice before locking and sealing it. "Launch!"

Hue takes the water into his own hands and the projectiles shoot out from the bottom of all the submarines, destroying the gratings blocking the holes. Near the shore, Sokka releases a breath that he had been holding since lowering the submarines for the second time. The submarines resurface and head towards the shore while even more projectiles are hurled at the ships. The submarines land on shore and their bases retract, revealing a team of caterpillar tanks.

The tanks advance towards the capital as projectiles continue to be thrown at the submarines. The soldiers and warriors emit battle cries and rush to attack.

The invasion force makes its way to the capital of the city, bracing themselves for the seemingly endless number of harpoons. Earth Kingdom soldiers move their feet in a pushing motion to move the tanks forward. Hana finds herself next to Sokka, who is leading a team of Water Tribe warriors, all of them carrying weapons and shields.

A truck loaded with rocks makes its way through the battlefield. Toph and the two earthbenders she knows launches three rocks at a battlement, crushing it to bits.

Appa lands next to Hana and she helps Katara dismount. A group of Fire Nation tanks makes their presence known on the battlefield, launching balls of flame in their direction. Their tanks continue to advance towards the capital with two Earth Kingdom soldiers reading in their own tanks. A caterpillar tank crawls up a battlement as the firebenders inside try to protect themselves. They realize nothing they could do would be effective and the tank proceeds to crush the roof of the battlement. Another caterpillar tank crushes a Fire Nation tank before moving on when the job is done.

A group of Fire Nation soldiers advance Hana and her group. Sokka charges one while another has his eyes set on Hana. She barely has time to dodge his fire blast before she can spin out of the way and bends her own flame. She lights the floor around him in a circle, trapping him for just a moment for her to get away. She thinks she has a chance until another firebender comes up behind her. She feels his vibrations through the earth, before he can touch her, she launches her own fireball into his armor and sends him flying into the water. Mentally, she thanks Toph as she turns to see Sokka knocking out his soldier. 

When he turns and sees her, he gives a curt nod and they continue forward.

A group of Fire Nation soldiers riding komodo rhino disband from the herd and heads towards Sokka as he jumps on a komodo rhino's horn and slices a Fire Nation's soldier's spear neatly in half. Sokka kicks the soldier off the beast as he gains control of it.

Sokka shouts to his father. "Dad, look out!"

Hana turns to see Hakoda blocking a fire blast with his shield. A Fire Nation soldier charges towards him with his spear as Hakoda blocks the attack. The Fire Nation soldier knocks the shield out of Hakoda's hand.

Hakoda maneuvers his own spear and relieves the Fire Nation soldier of his weapon, leaving Hakoda with two spears. He uses his weapons to knock down another firebender. He throws one of his spears towards two soldiers, knocking them down and jumps onto Sokka's komodo rhino. They ride to Hana and Sokka pulls her up between him and his father.

Hakoda leans forward and looks up. "Sokka, we've got to take out those battlements. It's our only chance."

Sokka looks up at a battlement and narrows his eyebrows. "I've got an idea." He brings them over to Appa. He jumps down and they follow. "Get on Appa," he shouts to us as he gets on the bison's head. The boy hangs off Appa's horn as they fly through the air. Sokka unsheathes his sword and cuts off a projectile from a battlement.

As they pass another battlement, Hana sends her own fireball into one projectile as Hakoda throws a grenade into another. Fire Nation soldiers crawl over one another to escape as the battlement explodes a second later.

The three dismount. "You three take out that battlement," Hakoda commands. "I've got this one. Watch each other's backs."

Sokka cuts through the metal door with his sword and Hana gives a little wave to the Fire Nation soldiers inside before she throws another grenade inside. The soldiers barely have time to register the action before they can leap out from the single window in the battlement.

The two pause to watch the building explode. Just behind then, Hakoda enters his battlement with his club in hand. The sounds of swords clashing catch Hana's attention and she hears Hakoda grunting in pain as another explosion rips the battlement apart. Katara and Sokka stand there for a few breaths, their mouths and eyes wide open. Hana takes off running as Hakoda opens the door, clutching his side. He staggers a few steps before collapsing. The firebender catches his head before it hits the ground.

Katara gasps. "Dad?"

"Dad!" Sokka shouts as they both run over and check his condition.

Hakoda grunts as he's laid on the ground. Hana backs away as Katara bends water from her pouch and moves her hands across her father's wound, healing it in the process.

"How does that feel, Dad?" She asks.

"A- a little better." He sits up. "I need... to get back... to the troops." He moans in between breaths.

Katara holds her father down with shaky hands. "You're hurt. Badly. You can't fight anymore."

"Everyone's counting on me," he winces from the pain. "To lead this mission, Katara. I won't let them down." He tries to get up before falling back to the ground in pain.

Sokka looks at his sister. "Can't you heal him any faster?"

"I'm doing everything I can."

Sokka closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. In. Out. "I'll do it."

"No offense Sokka but you're not exactly Mr. Healing Hands," Katara retorts.

"No." He stands up. "I'll lead the invasion force."

Katara breaks her concentration for a moment as she looks over at him. "Don't be crazy, Sokka."

"Maybe I am a little crazy but the eclipse is about to start and we need to be up that volcano," he looks at the volcano, "by the time it does."

"You're not crazy Sokka, you're thinking like a leader." Hana smirks and walks over to him.

Hakoda nods at his son. "You can do this. I'm proud of you, son."

"I still think you're crazy but I'm proud of you too." Katara looks at her brother, giving him the most reassuring smile she can muster.

Sokka bumps shoulders with Hana. "You coming with, right?"

Despite everything, the firebender smiles. "Someone's gotta keep you alive."

She takes one more glance at Hakoda, who's giving a smile only for her. Sokka puts on his head gear and mounts Appa, helping Hana up to sit behind him. The rise in the air to see that most of the Fire Nation tanks are encased in ice. The caterpillar tanks are leaving the mess behind them and heading towards the volcano. More projectiles are hurled towards them but Appa lands and uses his head to knock back a Fire Nation tank.

Sokka stands on the back of the beast. "Listen up everyone, I want the tanks in wedge formation!" His arms open up in a V-shape. "Warriors and benders in the middle." Toph and the Earth Kingdom soldiers are seen moving to Sokka's words. "We're taking that tower-" he points at it "-and headed for the royal palace!"

The caterpillar tanks start moving into Sokka's formation. The waterbender's brother places Appa in front as he grabs his sword and points toward the enemy. "Charge!"

A lone Fire Nation soldier tries to fight the advancing caterpillar tanks but he changes his mind and retreats as the caterpillar tanks climb up the stairs towards the capital. Two Fire Nation soldiers try their best to firebend at a caterpillar tank, but Hana sends a wave of fire in their direction, separating them from her comrades.

Sokka jumps off the bison as a truck loaded with barrels of explosives collides into a wall, exploding on impact. The defense wall is engulfed in smoke, but when the smoke clears the invasion forces charge into the capital. Fire Nation guards and tanks retreat.

Tyro calls out. "The Fire Nation is falling back!"

"Sokka, we're on our way to victory," Bato cheers. Sokka looks at the volcano and Hana follows his gaze. It's much bigger than she remembers it being and somewhere up there, in it's marble and gold hallways, is the Fire Prince himself.

* * *

The grounds outside the palace shakes. She's here, Zuko knows he's the closest he's been to her in months. It takes everything he has not to run to her right now.

He's kneeling in front of a portrait of his mother. He stares at her for a few minutes, trying to memorize her face.

"I know I made some bad choices. But today, I'm going to set things right." He grabs a backpack before looking at his mother's portrait for what could be the last time he sees it. He throws on his hood and walks away. He hopes he'll make her proud, even if she's not there to see it.

He walks down the hallways to the entrance of the secret bunker. He takes a deep breath. There's no backing out or walking away. No time to take back his decision. Now it's time to face his father. 

Now it's time to follow his true destiny.


	24. The Day of the Black Sun - 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her vision gets fuzzier and fuzzier with each hallway that she walks down. The sun light burns when they finally exit and an unknown figure runs up to her. When the water hits her burnt skin, instead of it feeling cool and healing, it burns and Hana violently pulls away. She can't pull out any specific word that her friends are speaking as she pulls farther away.
> 
> They barely get a second to breath as more firebenders shoot two fireballs at them. All of her senses are flooding Hana. Her friends keep saying words she doesn't understand. The sun is making everything too bright. Her skin still feels like it's burning. Suddenly, it's too much for her and she collapses to the ground, letting out a guttural sound that she's only heard animals make.
> 
> Seconds seem to pass in minutes but all of her senses clear up as the deep roar of an animal cuts through the land. Hana takes a deep breath, feeling the clean air coat her lungs.
> 
> When Hana opens her eyes, the ground around her is burnt to a crisp. She blinks, and blinks, and blinks just to make sure what she's seeing is in fact before her because there, flying in the sky, is a large, red dragon.

  
  


> "Here be dragons."
> 
> \- A medieval map maker’s warning

  
  


When her body begins to tingle, Hana looks up to see the moon beginning to overlap the sun. There are destroyed, smoking tanks littering the plaza. Fire Nation tanks and soldiers are shooting fire blasts at the caterpillar tanks while they still can. Soon they and Hana will become as useful as any nonbender.

The sides of the caterpillar tanks flip open and earthbenders throw stones at the firebenders. Fire Nation soldiers signal the catapults to fire and projectiles fly through the air as the earthbenders' stones and shock waves destroy the catapults.

Sokka, Bato, and Hana are examining a map on the ground behind the tanks. Behind us, Toph shoots a rock through the side of the tank just before a fireball collides into the tank. Sokka winces at the loud explosion. They look up and see Katara and Kaapo helping Hakoda through the plaza's large doorways.

"Dad! You're on your feet again," Sokka calls. He and Hana run to them, setting their father on the ground. "Thanks to your sister. I'm in no shape to fight but maybe there is some way I could help."

Sokka stands next to him. "Everything's going smoothly and the eclipse hasn't even kicked in yet. Good thing too cause in a couple seconds this one-" he points at Hana "-would be as useful as a drowned rat."

Hana jumps for the boy but her father holds her by the shoulders.

Hakoda looks to his children. "Let's hope our luck holds out." Something catches Katara's attention and she walks away. "Katara, you seem distracted. Is something wrong?"

Katara takes a few more steps forward, looking out in the distance. "Yeah. Is that... is that Aang?"

Sokka picks himself up off the ground. Aang glides towards the group, dodging the numerous fireballs. He lands in front of them. Sokka groans. "Please tell you're here because the Fire Lord turned out to be a big wimp and you didn't even need the eclipse to take him down?"

"He wasn't home. No one was. The entire palace city is abandoned."

"They knew," Sokka exclaims

"It's over. The Fire Lord is probably long gone. Far away on some remote island where he'll be safe during the eclipse." Aang turns his head to the ground.

Sokka shakes his head. "No. My instincts tell me he wouldn't go too far. He would have a secret bunker. Somewhere he could go so it'll be safe during a siege but still be close enough to lead his nation."

"If it's an underground secret bunker we're looking for, I'm just the girl to find it." Toph smiles.

Sokka pulls out a pocket watch. "The Mechanist gave me this timing device. It looks like we've got about ten minutes until the full eclipse. Ten minutes to find the Fire Lord."

"We can still do this. We can still win the day." Aang picks his head up, a new fire burning in his eyes.

"Wait. If they knew we were coming, it could all be a trap. Maybe we should use the time we have left to make sure all of us get out of here safely," Katara replies.

Hana's father speaks up from behind her. "Everyone who's here today came prepared to risk everything for this mission. They know what's at stake. If there's still a chance and there's still hope, I think they would want Aang to go for it."

"What do you think? You're the one who has to face the Fire Lord. Whatever you decide, I'm with you," Sokka asks.

Aang faces toward the battlefield. "I've got to try."

Sokka, Aang, Toph, and Hana pile up on Appa. The bison flies towards the top of the volcano that houses the Fire Nation capital. He lands and the four jump down.

Aang turns to Toph. "Do you feel anything down there?"

She places her hand to the ground. "Yep. There are natural tunnels criss-crossing through the inside of the volcano."

"Anything else? Is there a structure somewhere?" Sokka asks her, impatience running through his words.

Toph extends her hands to each side before plunging them into the ground, gripping the earth with her fingers. "There's something big, dense, and made of metal deep in the heart of the volcano."

"Sounds like a secret bunker to me." Sokka's face lights up.

Toph digs her hand into the earth, bending a hole into the side of the volcano. She kneels down and feels the ground before running down one side of the tunnel with everyone blindly following. "This way! That one's a dead end."

Sokka runs beside her. "What would we do without you?"

"Perish and burn in hot magma," she replies.

They crawl past a small stream of lava that Sokka flinches away from it before continuing running until they come to a cavern filled with active lava vents all over the floor. "The tunnel continues on the other side and it leads right to the bunker," Toph informs her group as they come to a stop.

"We'll have to be fast but careful." Sokka attempts to run across, but is immediately stopped by one of the vents erupting. He cries in surprise and shields himself as Aang swings his staff, bending a gust of wind to cool the lava.

"The definition of careful," Hana says. 

Sokka sends a glare her way. "I was wrong. We need to be fast, careful and lucky."

They run across the cavern, carefully dodging the steam and lava coming from the vents. When they come to a stop, they find that they're standing on a small cliff above a large river of lava.

"There's no floor! It's just a river of lava," Sokka groans as he looks at his friends.

Aang spins his staff and extends the glider wings. "Climb aboard and hold on tight."

The earthbender and nonbender climb onto the Avatar but Hana stays behind. "You can't take everyone across at once and we don't have enough time. I'm useless since I can't bend. Do without me."

Hana turns to walk back down the tunnels but a hand grabs her wrist and pulls her back. She finds herself cradled in Sokka's arm and she can't decide whether to punch him or grab onto him. "You think after all this we're just gonna leave you behind. No good firebender. You're stuck with us the whole way."

He clings onto Aang as he glides through the lava tunnel, Sokka, despite all his bravado, screaming the entire time. Aang banks left and right, avoiding a stone column and a lava explosion. By the powers at will, they all make it to the other side and land easily.

Aang takes the lead as they start running up to a large metal bunker built against the cavern wall. "That's some door!" Sokka says.

Toph walks up to the door, places her ear against it and knocks, producing a metallic thud. "Not a problem." She takes a step back before bashing her elbows into the door, fracturing and denting it. She takes another step back, kisses her middle and index fingers, and forcefully stabs them through the middle of the door. Then she just kicks a hole through the metal, her leg bursting through as she widens the hole large enough to step through. She points in a direction and takes off, the other three not far behind.

Sokka turns to her. "I am so glad we added you to the group."

They run down a tunnel on the other side that merges with the first one. Hana hears another person whistling a tune before a war minister turns the corner in front of them. He gasps in shock as they all brandish their weapons at him. Toph stomps the ground, sending a rock into the air. Sokka has his sword, Hana, her dagger, and Aang, his staff.

The war minister presses his back against the wall and raises his hands in surrender. Hana has never heard anything as beautiful as he sings like a bird. "The Fire Lord's chamber is that way down the hall to the left and up the stairs. You can't miss it."

They all step in closer to him, glaring. All except Aang, who smiles at the man. "Thanks."

They leave the man, Sokka giving him one last dirty look. They run along the tunnel following the directions Toph is giving. Sokka pulls out his watch to check the time. "Only 30 seconds until the total eclipse."

Another large door stops them in their tracks. A flame symbol paints the front and top. Aang takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. "I'm ready. I'm ready to face the Fire Lord."

Aang spins his staff up and forward. The door as it is blown off its hinges by Aang's blast of air. The room is one large hall supported by thick metal beams on both sides, lit by torchlight, and at the end is a single throne. The four rush inside to find Azula lounging on the throne. Anger bubbles in Hana's veins as soon as she lays eyes on the princess.

Azula tilts her head. "So, you are alive after all." Aang is in utter, speechless shock along with Sokka. "I had a hunch that you survived. It doesn't matter, I've known about the invasion for months," Azula continues. Her gaze moved from him to me. "Oh, look, you brought the traitor with you."

Hana doesn't give the princess the satisfaction as she stands with her friends silently. It doesn't matter when she says to her right now. Firstly she needs to help her friend find the Fire Lord. Then they can figure out who the real traitor is.

* * *

Zuko reaches out to slide the door open. There are elite guards with spears standing at either end of his father. The Fire Lord looks up just as he's about to take a sip from a steaming cup of tea. "Prince Zuko, what are you doing here?"

He takes a few steps towards the line of guards. He doesn't answer Ozai's question, just takes deep breaths.

Ozai raises an eyebrow as his eyes bore into his sons. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to tell the truth," he replies calmly, not breaking eye contact.

"Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse. This should be interesting." He looks displeased as he waves his hand and his guards leave through doors on both sides of the chamber.

"First of all, in Ba Sing Sae, it was Azula who took down the Avatar. Not me." The prince waves his arms to emphasize his point.

"Why would she lie to me about that?"

"Because the Avatar is not dead. He survived."

My father growls. "What?"

"In fact, he probably is leading this invasion. He could be on us right now."

The Fire Lord stands up and points, furious. "Get out! Get out of my sight right now if you know what's good for you."

Zuko wills his voice to be stronger as he stands straighter. "That's another thing. I'm not taking orders from you anymore." A wave of pride surges through him that he was able to keep his tone level. He should have stopped taking his orders a long time ago but right now is as good of a time than any.

He bares his teeth, rage practically leaking from his pores. "You will obey me or this defiant breath will be your last!" The Fire Lord begins to walk towards the prince until Zuko unsheathes his swords and brandishes them at him.

"Think again! I am going to speak my mind and you are going to listen." He grips his swords tightly as he speaks. Ozai sits back down while glaring at his son.

"For so long, all I wanted was you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor that I wanted but really, I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn." He points a sword at him. "My father, who challenged me; a 13-year-old boy to an Agni Kai. How can you possibly justify a duel with a child?"

He sneers."It was to teach you respect."

"It was cruel! And it was wrong," Zuko snaps.

"Then you have learned nothing." His face contorts into a new level of anger the longer Zuko stays in the room with him.

"No, I've learnt everything!" He swings his sword around. "And I had to learn it on my own. Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history and somehow, the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was."

My father laughs coldly. "Your uncle has gotten to you, hasn't he?"

Zuko closes his eyes for a second. "Among others." He smiles and his father frowns in.

* * *

Aang steps up to her. "Where is he? Where is the Fire Lord?"

Azula bats her eyelashes. "You mean I'm not good enough for you? You're hurting my feelings."

Sokka lifts his sword. "Stop wasting our time and give us the information. You're powerless right now so you're in no position to refuse."

"And stick to the truth. I'll be able to tell if you're lying." Confidence is radiating off of Toph.

Azula smirks. "Are you sure? I'm a pretty good liar." Her face becomes completely expressionless. "I am a 400-foot-tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings."

Toph pauses briefly. "Okay you're good, I admit it." She bends the earth underneath Azula so that it encases her in a conical shape. "But you really ought to consider telling the truth anyway."

Azula's smirk stays on her face as the rock she's trapped in shatters. They all stand there shocked except for Hana, who's just beating herself up for forgetting about her little pests. Azula keeps smirking as she brushes some rubble off her shoulder. "When I left Ba Sing Sa, I brought home some souvenirs." Two Dai Li drop from the ceiling and land in front of her. "You remember Dai Li, don't you?"

Aang swings his staff at them, throwing out a blast of wind. The Dai Li both bend a stone wall in front and completely nullify the attack. Toph takes up her own earthbending stance, destroying the wall in between them.

They race forward, a stone structure erupts from the floor where Aang is standing. He jumps away from it and off one of the metal beams before flipping forward. The two Dai Li soldiers pull two slabs from the ground and fling them at the Avatar, but he deflects them with two kicks.

Toph bursts through the stone behind Aang, creating a hole in it. She jumps through the hole with Sokka and Hana right behind her. She lands between the soldiers and bends two diagonal pillars of stone up from beneath them as she lands, pushing them towards the walls. The Dai Li both land on the walls feet first and bend a pillar of stone down at Toph, who blocks the attacks by bending her own stone walls up from the floor.

Aang runs forward, but stops when he hears a loud, grinding sound. The two Dai Li are sliding over the side of the wall and past the Avatar. He flings himself off the wall and in front of Aang with a pillar of earth, putting himself in front of Azula.

The soldier sinks into the floor as he lands and bends a large, diagonal wall of stone off from the floor. Aang jumps high into the air, flips forward, and bursts through the wall feet first. Aang lands behind the Dai Li agent, popping him into the air as he lands with one small pillar of stone and knocking him away with a larger one, knocking the soldier out of the fight. Aang spins his staff above his head, letting go of it as he turns forward, winds up, and shoots a powerful blast of air with one hand at Azula.

The princess grabs onto the arms of the throne and cartwheels away just before the throne is completely destroyed by the air blast. They run to where Azula was and Aang swings his staff at her, bending out a blade of air. Azula runs between two metal beams, she jumps over the blade of air and at the beam, then flips off that one back towards the beam behind her. She lands on the side of the beam just before spring off it as another blade of air barely misses her.

Azula rolls and does a split as she lands on the ground. She runs off, Aang and Hana chase after her. Azula runs behind the metal beams, jumping onto and then off a beam just as Aang sends another blade of air at her. Azula continues running forward and hopping from the wall to the beams and up to one of the stone beams the Dai Li had attacked Toph with.

Aang launches himself with his staff and kicks a blast of air at Azula, but misses. Azula jumps off the diagonal wall Toph had created to block the attack earlier and lands on the other one before flipping off of it and landing on the floor.

Azula turns and runs towards the large stone wall. The other Dai Li soldier slid down the stone beam towards the floor. The Dai Li lands behind her and then bends a pillar up from beneath her, sending Azula into the air towards the hole in the wall that Toph had made. Sokka climbs up into the hole as Azula flies towards him. She passes just inches above Sokka's face as he ducks down.

Hana runs through the hole behind her just as Azula lands on the other side of the wall and runs towards the exit. She hears something fly through the air and doesn't register it in time before a rock smacks her in the head. She's dizzy for a moment as the Dai Li runs past.

Aang calls out. "I can't pin her down. She's too quick."

Azula runs out the doors and down the tunnel. The Dai Li slides out of the room and blocks the entrance with a large stone. Toph doesn't even have to stop as she makes the stone wall explode out of their way. The soldier is knocked to the side by a stone pillar ejecting out of the side of the wall.

"Wait! Aang, Hana, Toph, stop attacking." They all stop. "Don't you see what she's doing? She's just playing with us. She's not even trying to win this fight!"

Azula snorts. "Not true, I'm giving it my all."

"You're trying to keep us here and waste all our time!"

Azula looks at Toph. "Right. I think your friend just said that genius. And since you can't see, I should tell you I'm rolling my eyes."

Toph's whole face reddens. "I'll roll your whole head!"

Hana places a hand on her shoulder as Sokka calls to her. "She's just baiting you again."

"Okay, so what do we do? Just ignore her?" Aang questions with his eyebrows raised.

"We don't have a choice. We just have to get out of here and find the Fire Lord on our own somehow," Sokka says, and they turn and start walking away from Azula.

Azula calls after them. "It's a trap. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Aang and Toph stop and turn to Azula for a moment, but Sokka and Hana keep walking. He is waving a hand back at her.

Hana closes her eyes. "Ignore her!"

Her voice changes as she speaks to Hana. "Oh traitor, if you're going to leave you should at least know that my brother wasted no time moving on." The statement stops Hana in her tracks. Even though they're inside a volcano, a chill runs down her spine. "He's been at Mai's house everyday this past week. I'm so glad they became an item. She's been trying to get at him since we were children." It's her. Hana knows it's her. The girl Zuko told her about on their first date. The girl who he went on his first date with. "No wonder Zuko left you. Why would he want to be with the worst Fire Nation scum?"

Hana still can't get herself to do anything but stand paralyzed. "Shut up, she is better than you will ever be!" Sokka growls.

The princess replies in a slightly bored tone. "Sokka's your name, right? My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time." Sokka's back goes rigid. "She was convinced that you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came and she gave up on you."

Finally, Hana's body moves to step towards him. Tears fill his eyes and he gives a furious cry of anger as he rushes at Azula. Hana can't hold him back in time.

Under her breath, words dripping with malice, Azula speaks. "Come and get it." Hana can just barely hear her words.

Hana's eyes immediately fly to the princess's hands. She slips a deadly, ornate blade from her sleeve. Toph senses the deception. She raises to her knees, which raises two stones into the air, and shoots them forward with a thrust of her hands. Both of Azula's wrists are pinned against the wall by the stone, the blade dropping from her hand. Azula grunts in pain as she hits the wall.

Sokka grabs Azula's shoulder, pushing her up against the wall, and glares into her eyes. "Where. Is. Suki?"

She stays silent. "Where's Suki? Answer me!" He is glaring at the princess, her arms pinned above her head against the wall.

Aang grabs Sokka's shoulder. "Sokka, she won't talk."

Sokka hesitates, then turns back to Azula. "Where are you keeping her?!" All she does is give a menacing look.

* * *

"After I leave here today, I'm going to free Uncle Iroh from his prison and I'm going to beg for his forgiveness. He is the one who has been a real father to me."

Zuko's father chuckles. "That's just beautiful. Maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure."

"But I've come to an even more important decision." The prince pauses. "I'm going to join the Avatar. And I'm going to help him defeat you."

He is grinning slyly. "Really? Since you're a full blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait? I'm powerless, you've got your swords, why don't you just do it now?" He knows the game his father is playing, and it would be easy to take a bit. But the image of Hana flashes in his mind again.

"Because I know my own destiny. Taking you down is the Avatar's destiny." He sheathes his swords. "Goodbye." He turns away from his father and walks away. 

"Coward! You think you're brave enough to face me but you'll only do it during an eclipse. If you have any real courage, you'll stick around until the sun comes out. Don't you want to know what happened to your mother?"

Zuko stops in front of the doors and turns back around. The smile his father gives him is venomous.

"What happened that night?"

"My father, Fire Lord Azulon, had commanded me to do the unthinkable to you, my own son. And I was going to do it." He doesn't even sound a little sad about it. "Your Mother had found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted the throne and she proposed a plan. A plan in which I would become Fire Lord and your life would be spared.

"Your mother did vicious, treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished." Fire Lord Ozai's eyes darken.

Tears well up in Zuko's eyes. "So she's alive."

"Perhaps. Now I realize that banishment is far too merciful a penalty for treason. Your penalty will be far steeper." He closes his eyes for a moment.

Suddenly he feels his body begin to tingle, his bending returning to his body. Ozai opens his eyes quickly, stepping forward, swinging his arms out. He creates two arcs of electricity from his fingertips.

He thrusts his fingers forward and fires an incredible bolt of lightning at his son. Zuko enters the stance his uncle taught him as he catches the lightning with the tips of his fingers. The prince slides backward from the force of the attack, the lightning shuddering through his body and makes his hair stand on end. He sinks his body down and pulls his arms in as the electricity runs through his body. Zuko thrusts his other hand forward, redirecting the lightning in his direction.

The bolt strikes the ground where Ozai is standing, creating an explosion that knocks him against the wall and the tapestry behind him. Before he can recover Zuko's out of the room, racing down tunnel after tunnel. He needs to break his uncle out, then they can both leave and find Hana together.

* * *

Suddenly Azula speaks up. "Oh. Sounds like the firebending's back on. You can feel it too, can't you, traitor?" She kicks her leg upward and creates an arc of blue fire, making Sokka jump back in surprise. She thrusts her foot forward and shoots a fireball at Sokka. Hana tackles him out of the way but her arm gets burned in the process.

Azula flips up and places her feet on the wall, straining herself to break her arms free. She grins as the rock trapping her explodes in a blue flame. She springs off the wall towards Aang and flips forward. Aang jumps out of the way as Azula lands with a fiery heel drop where he was standing.

She stands up and turns to the group. "Dad's all the way at the end of the hall and down the secret stairway on the left. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to see you now." Azula quickly runs away down the tunnel.

Sokka looks down. "I fell for it! I used up all our time."

"Don't beat yourself up. I did too." In her ears, Hana's voice sounds hollow and full of rage all at the same time.

"It's not your fault. Azula was ready for us. She had every move planned out." Toph puts a hand on their shoulders.

Sokka sounds as hopeless as Hana feels. "And now it's too late."

"Maybe it's not too late. The eclipse is over but I can face the Fire Lord anyway," Aang replies.

"No. I don't think that's a good idea."

"But I'm ready! I came here with a job to do and everyone's counting on me."

Toph grabs his attention. "The Fire Lord knew we were coming this time. We thought we had a surprise on our side but we didn't. It just wasn't our day. What we need to do now is go help our friends."

"I guess you're right," Aang agrees reluctantly.

Sokka puts a hand on Aang's shoulder. "You'll have another chance. I know you will."

"This is touching and everything but can we wait until we get out of the middle of this volcano." Hana begins walking away without them, but soon hears them following. Everything in Hana's telling her to cry. Her face is hot and her throat has begun to close up, making it harder to breath. She's clutching her arm, the pain radiating through her body.

Her vision gets fuzzier and fuzzier with each hallway that she walks down. The sun light burns when they finally exit and an unknown figure runs up to her. When the water hits her burnt skin, instead of it feeling cool and healing, it burns and Hana violently pulls away. She can't pull out any specific word that her friends are speaking as she pulls farther away.

They barely get a second to breath as more firebenders shoot two fireballs at them. Aang and Toph hold them off as they all run but it's not much use. They have the five surrounded. All of her senses are flooding Hana. Her friends keep saying words she doesn't understand. The sun is making everything too bright. Her skin still feels like it's burning. Suddenly, it's too much for her and she collapses to the ground, letting out a guttural sound that she's only heard animals make.

Seconds seem to pass in minutes but all of her senses clear up as the deep roar of an animal cuts through the land. Hana takes a deep breath, feeling the clean air coat her lungs. She can hear her friends clearly now and they, along with everyone else, are talking over one another is a fevered manner.

When Hana opens her eyes, the ground around her is burnt to a crisp. She lifts her head from the ground and her eyes lock onto a blurry mass in the sky. She blinks, and blinks, and blinks just to make sure what she's seeing is in fact before her because there, flying in the sky, is a large, red dragon.

The Fire Nation soldiers continue their attacks, except now they are aimed at the mythical beast. They bounce off it like they were toothpicks and the dragon lands, surrounding Hana and her friends with it's huge body. It bats the soldiers away with it's tail and lets out another deep roar.

"Holy sh-"

* * *

Zuko runs into the prison, down the hallway, and up the stairs. When he makes it to the prison, he finds a guard lying on the floor. The man looks up and winces. The prince can't find it in himself to check on the man as he keeps running until he's close to his door. He sees it open and stops in the doorway.

"Uncle!" There's a huge hole in the cage, and the surrounding bars are bent outward. Warden Poon is lying on the floor, dazed. The prince runs in and grabs Poon by the collar. "Where is my uncle?"

Warden Poon is shocked and dazed. "He's gone. He busted himself out. I- I've never seen anything like it! He was like a one man army!" The news shocks Zuko. He's happy. He's disappointed. He wanted to see him. To apologize to him. He lets go of the guard and takes off.

* * *

"What in everything good is this?" Sokka cries out, his eyes not leaving the red dragon before him.

"I'd like to know because I've never felt anything like it," Toph adds, trying to understand the large object in front of her with her feet.

"It's... a dragon," Aang breath. The large lizard turns it's head inward to the group and swoops down. The boy flinches but it doesn't do anything but go for Hana, who lifts her hand out for the dragon to nuzzle it's face into. "And it likes Hana."

The grounds shake again. Everyone huddles together as the dragon opens it's wing above the group. The fireballs hit the skin and extinguish before the beast tosses them off. Hana runs towards the dragon's tail and peeks over to see the caterpillar tanks quickly making their way down the slope as more fireballs launch in their direction. 

Sokka points up to the sky. "Tell it to breathe fire at their airships."

Hana does just that and the dragon lifts it's head up high and breathes a wave of fire into three of their airships, crashing them to the ground. Sokka whoops but as they pass over, they cease their raid. The dragon retracts its tail from around the group and they look up as the zeppelins fly towards the beach.

Katara's face is shrouded in confusion. "Why aren't they turning around to attack us again?"

"They're headed for the beach. They're going to destroy the submarines!" Aang makes the horrifying realization.

"How are we all going to escape?" Sokka looks from person to person.

Hakoda places his hand on his kids' shoulders. "We're not."

"Then our only choice is to stand and fight. We have the Avatar, we could still win!" Sokka looks at his dad with hope and determination.

"Yes, with the Avatar we could still win on another day. You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa together."

Hana shakes her head. "We don't just have Appa anymore." She turns back to look at the dragon, it's stance making her even more intimidated. Hana turns back to her father, pulling him towards it but when he gets closer, a deep growl comes from its throat.

"It doesn't look like an option. You're our only chance in the long run. You and Sokka have to go with Aang somewhere safe. It's the only way to keep hope alive," Hakoda says.

Bato looks at us. "The youngest of our group should go with you. The adults will stay behind and surrender. We'll be prisoners but we'll all survive this battle."

Tyro turns to the adults as he speaks. "I've got some experience with the Fire Nation prisons. It's not going to be easy but we'll get by."

Sokka points. "They're at the beach already!"

They all turn to see the submarines and the swampbenders as the shadow of a zeppelin passes over. They fly overhead and begin to drop more bombs. Due and Tho bend water from the ocean, swinging their arms in windmill motions to send the water into the air and intercept the bombs. The bombs explode in midair.

Hue grabs two oncoming bombs with his seaweed arms. He tosses one away, but the other explodes, destroying the arm of the seaweed creature. Another bomb lodges itself inside the body of the creature and explodes, destroying it.

The bombs start falling on the submarines, one by one they explode. The smoke clears and they see the destroyed submarines. Silent sobs wreck Hana as her father holds her closely. She squeezes him tighter, afraid to let him go. When she looks past his shoulder, she sees the dragon looking towards the destroyed submarines. Again she tries to get her father onto the mythical beast, but it bares its large fangs and backs away.

"Come on, he's my father. _My father._ " Hana pulls him again but the same effect happens. "You useless lizard. I can't just leave him. You listen to me, well then let him on you."

She feels a hand squeeze her shoulder and Han turns to see her fathers face. Despite everything, his face holds no tears. Just the same unbreakable bravery she grew up with. "Don't worry, we will meet again. This is not the end. You cannot give up. You are Hana, Keeper of the Dragon's Scale, but most importantly, my daughter."

Everyone is looking at Hana, and in turn her dragon, with hopeful expressions. Tears won't stop streaming down her face but she holds herself up higher than before. Their hopeful expressions fade as everyone starts saying their goodbyes.

Hakoda turns to his children. "We lost today but we've never been this close. We tasted victory and that counts for something."

Katara looks up at her dad. "We'll miss you Dad."

The Water Triber leader gives each of his children one last embrace. "Bye Dad. We won't be apart for too long this time. I promise," Sokka says.

Aang is on his knees on top of Appa's head. Katara walks up to him and places a hand on his shoulder. When Hana looks up she sees similar tears running down both their faces. She eventually pries herself away from her father but as soon as she does, she grabs Hakoda's arm. "Remember your promise. I kept mine, it's your turn."

He nods before looking away and wiping his eyes. The Avatar squeezes Katara's hand before standing up and addressing the rest of the invasion force. "Thank you all for being so brave and so strong. I'm going to make this up to you."

Appa and Hana's dragon lift off from the ground into the sky. Hana keeps her eyes on her father until he disappears from sight. It's only until she's far enough away when she can finally take in the situation she's in the middle of.

Sure, they lost the battle but Hana's on the back of a dragon. An actual dragon that have supposedly been extinct for a hundred years. And it's not only a dragon, but a dragon that protects her and takes orders from her. She strokes its scales and it turns its head back to her at the touch. She puts a hand on its forehead, orders it to continue following the bison before leaning back until she's lying flat down.

And she pretends that she's flying.

* * *

The war balloon Zuko's stolen flies higher into the sky. He's holding onto the ropes as he watches Appa. He looks for that flash of red but he never finds her. A flash of worry goes through him when he doesn't see her. Did she not make it? Is she in danger of going to prison? Or worse... The prince shakes his head, not wanting to think about worse, but all of his fears turn to shock and awe when a red dragon breaks through the clouds with a familiar firebender on its back. 

A maddening laugh rips through the prince's throat as he takes in the sight. If he has any doubt about the markings on her back before, no one could take her down now.

This will truly be interesting now.


	25. The Western Air Temple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Absolutely not. I have enough on my own plate without teaching the Avatar," she says, gesturing to the dragon head at her feet.
> 
> "Come on, Hana. You've got to be great. A master even. You are the Keeper of the Dragon's Scale," Sokka pleads on his knees.
> 
> She shakes her head. "That doesn't mean I'm a master firebender. It just means I happen to be born with some dragon scales on my skin. Truthfully, it's all very circumstantial."

  
  


> “When walking into the lair of the dragon after robbing his hoard, the least you could do is hold you head high.”
> 
> \- Ilona Andrews,  _ Fate's Edge _

  
  


The days go by in slow motion the second Hana landed in The Western Air Temple. As soon as the red dragon touched the ground, her group and the other kids rushed her. When the dragon first made an appearance everyone was hesitant and skittish, but now that they know that it won't attack unless Hana told it otherwise, they aren't afraid to get close. The temple seems like it would be fun to explore but Hana found herself sitting in the open courtroom, her dragon's head circling her body.

The children they brought with them sprint into the various caverns of the Air Temple as she and the others in the original group stay behind. The Avatar readies his glider but whines when Katara pulls him away. "Why can't I go?"

Katara crosses her arms over her chest. "We need to decide what we're gonna do now. And since you're the Avatar, maybe you should be a part of this."

Aang leans his staff against a slightly broken down bench and sits down. "Fair enough. So, what's the new plan?"

"Well, if you ask me," Sokka begins. "The new plan is the old plan. You just need to master all four elements, and confront the Fire Lord before the comet comes."

Aang rolls his eyes. "Oh, yeah, that's great." He picks up a pebble and tosses it into the air nonchalantly. "No problem, I'll just do that."

"Aang, no one said it's gonna be easy," Katara says to him.

Aang continues his little tantrum. "Well, it's not even gonna be possible. Where am I supposed to get a firebending teacher?"

Everyone else in the group looks to Hana, who stares back at them with a deadly glare. "Absolutely not. I have enough on my own plate without teaching the Avatar," she says, gesturing to the dragon head at her feet.

"Come on, Hana. You've got to be great. A master even. You are the Keeper of the Dragon's Scale," Sokka pleads on his knees.

She shakes her head. "That doesn't mean I'm a master firebender. It just means I happen to be born with some dragon scales on my skin. Truthfully, it's all very circumstantial."

"Well, it looks like there isn't one now so can I go explore now." Katara sighs before letting the airbender free to do what he wishes.

"You guys go ahead without me," Hana says to the group.

"Are you sure you don't want to come looking around with us?" Katara asks her. The firebender puts up a hand to wave off her friends.

"Go on. I'll be fine. I think I should spend my time with this one," Hana says, nodding towards the head at her feet. The dragon lets out a breath, a line of steam coming out with it. The group walks off to explore the Western Air Temple, leaving Hana with her head resting against her knee. The dragon opens its yellow eyes to look at her.

"Well, what am I supposed to do with you?" She asks. The dragon's eyes never leave her. "I've never had a pet before in my life, let alone an entire  _ dragon _ . What do I feed you? Do you feed yourself? Hell, what am I even supposed to call you? I'm not sure, but I bet you don't want to be called dragon fore-" Hana stops herself. She was about to stay forever, but the idea of keeping the dragon forever is an idea that can't happen. Because this was a fluke in the system, it had to be. "-the time being."

The dragon picks up its head and moves closer to Hana. She stays deathly still, just watching the dragon close the gap between them until it rests its big, scaly forehead against her own. The world around Hana spins and then she's in another room, another time, another life. A woman sits at a table scribbling on a sheet of paper, her dark hair hanging around her like a curtain. She dips her brush back into the pot of ink before bringing it back to the paper. She sits up, looking at her work and her robe falls down her arm. Hana gasps when she sees what's painted on her shoulder. Dragon scales, like the ones on her back.

The door to the room bursts open, revealing Fire Nation soldiers brandishing their swords. The woman turns to look at them, her yellow eyes shining in the sunlight pouring in through the door. She leaps out of her chair and takes off for an open window but the guards are too fast, taking her by the arms and dragging her out of the room while she kicks, cries and screams.

Hana takes in a sharp breath as she's transported back to the Western Air Temple. Hana takes in deep breaths and rubs her eyes. When she looks up she meets the eyes of the dragon in front of her. "Juno," she whispered. That had to be the woman from her father's story. Hana hadn't even been born yet, but everything fit together perfectly. The marks on her shoulder, the yellow eyes, the soldiers ripping her from her home.

Hana reaches out to the dragon and she puts her big head into the firebender's hand.

Suddenly, Juno harshly pulls her head away from Hana's hand and stares up into the sky, her pupils shrinking into slits.

"What's up girl," Hana asks, standing up to reach out to the dragon.

Juno walks toward the end of the cliff, using her tail to wrap around Hana and pull her into the sky as she takes off. Hana screams, the rough wind making her eyes water. The two aren't in the air for long before Juno lands back onto the ground.

"What did you do that for?" Hana asks when Juno's tail drops her on the ground. Juno growls, her head lowering to the ground and pointing at something deep in the forest. Hana stays silent until she spots something out of the corner of her eye. "Did you see that?" she asks Juno, not expecting a reply.

Hana purses her lips. She's so sure...

Then again, she had just fled a failed invasion of the Fire Nation and had to say goodbye to her father once again. Maybe she's just paranoid. But Juno had taken her into this clearing of woods for a reason, and Hana wants to know why. She takes a few hesitant steps into the woods.

"-you know when I was attacking you?" Hana hears a voice she never thought she'd hear again. The sound is coming from a few feet into the woods, but it's not like the last time she heard it. She runs to the closest tree with the largest trunk and hides her body behind it. She peeks out behind it and her eyes run across the back of Prince Zuko. And he's talking to a frog.

"Uh yeah, I guess I should apologize for that, but anyway I'm good now. I mean, I thought I was good before but now I realize I was bad, but anyway... I think it's time I joined your group and taught the Avatar firebending."

Hana has to place both of her hands firmly over her mouth to smother any sound that's audible. She silently curses herself but thankfully Zuko doesn't even seem to notice as he talks to the frog. Tears appear in her vision; tears of both anger and relief. She never thought she'd see him again but there he is, in the woods above the Western Air Temple and rehearsing a speech to give to her group.

"Well, what's your answer?" Zuko asks the frog, but it just croaks and hops away. "Yeah, that's what I'd say too."

Hana laughs into her hands as she continues to listen to him.

"How am I supposed to convince these people that I'm on their side? What would uncle do?" Zuko puffs out his chest as he starts imitating his Uncle Iroh. "Zuko, you have to look within yourself to save yourself from your other self. Only then will your true self reveal itself. Ugh, even when I'm talking for him I can't figure out what he means."

Hana can't stop herself from laughing. She has to admit that the impression's pretty good.

"No, no, no. What would Azula do?" He asks. Hana perks up, very much interested in how he was going to impersonate his sister. "Listen Avatar, I can join your group, or I can do something unspeakably horrible to you and your friends. Your choice!"

Zuko groans and runs his hands over his face before looking back to the frog. "I guess I'm not that good at impersonations."

Hana takes another deep breath, taking in the situation fully. Her heart is beating wildly. There he is. The boy she thought she loved. Loves? She's not sure but she does know that he's the boy who left her for dead when she saw him last. A small chirp shakes Hana out of her own head and she looks up to see Juno looking back at her. She swears she sees actual fires burning in her pupils. In that moment, she straightens her spine, willing more confidence to come to her. Because she might not know what the Prince of the Fire Nation wants, but she does know that she is not the same girl she was before. The dragon behind her proves that true. She steps out from behind the tree. "I think you should go with the first one. Those last two will just push them farther away."

Zuko jumps, throwing a fireball in her direction that she easily deflects. He looks angry for only a second until the smoke from the attack clears and the prince gets a good look on her face. "Hana," he whispers, almost in disbelief that she's even there. "How did you-"

"I don't even know. I guess I just have a knack for finding you, even if I don't want to," Hana says, leaning against the tree trunk.

Zuko looks at her without saying a word. The only sound is the bugs in the woods and the wind in the trees as the two just stare at each other. Zuko takes a few steps towards Hana but she holds out a hand to him, making him pause. He reaches up and scratches the back of his head.

"How much of that did you hear?" Zuko asks.

Hana shrugs. "Enough to know that you want to join us," she sighs. "Do you really think that will work?"

Zuko throws his hands up into the air before dropping them to his side. "I don't know but I have to try."

"Why are you even back here?" Hana says a little bit louder. "The last time I saw you, you were adamant about siding with your father and sister. You leave me for dead, you arrest your uncle. What now, Your Highness?"

"Stop," Zuko whispers.

"What's your problem? Are you here to arrest us too? Haven't you done enough to regain your honor for your father, Prince Zuko?"

"Stop it," Zuko says a little louder.

"You broke my heart," Hana screams. That confession makes Zuko finally look at her, his entire face red and tears of his own running down his face. "You kissed me, you said you wanted a life with me in Ba Sing Sae and then you betrayed me. You choose them over us. Was it all lies, Your Highness?" Hana breaks down into a screaming, wailing puddle of tears. She's been doing this a lot and a part of is telling her to get up, to not let him see her like this. She collapses to her knees, covering her face with the sleeve of her robes.

Zuko takes shaky steps towards Hana. He hates himself more in that moment than he ever has in his entire life. More than when he was first banished, more than when he arrested his uncle, more than when he thinks about where he's been and with who these past weeks. He rushes to her and collapses next to her, wrapping his body around hers, whispering apology after apology into her ear.

After a bit, Hana's hands creep up and grab Zuko's shoulders tight, afraid that he might leave again if she doesn't hold on for dear life.

They kneel there on the forest floor holding each other until Hana's tears dwindle into sniffles, but she refuses to let Zuko go. He's still whispering apologies into her ear, occasionally placing chaste kisses to the side of her head, until she lifts her face out of the crook of his neck.

"I realized I wasn't happy. I hated the people I was around. I hated who I had become. The only thing that got me through it was that everywhere I went I saw you. I saw your face, heard your voice, everywhere. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that one day I would see you again, and I was going to do everything in my power to fix what I had broken."

Hana looks up at him.

"Zuko," she whispers. Zuko's eyes never leave her face, and if it were up to him he'd never take them off of her face ever again. "Don't ever do anything like that ever again, do you understand me?"

Zuko nods and a splitting smile grows on his face. He leans back down and wraps Hana up in his arms again. They stay like that for a few minutes longer until Juno's roar split them up. Hana jumps up and runs for her dragon, leaving Zuko behind to chase after her.

When Hana reaches the dragon, she's laying on the floor and looks up at her with eyes that say ' _ What took you so long?' _

"Stupid overgrown lizard," Hana breathes as Zuko catches up with her, taking in the sight of the large mythical creature that he once thought to be extinct.

"I didn't want to believe it when I saw you fly out of the Fire Nation on the back of a dragon," he said. "But it's real. She's real."

Zuko takes hesitant steps towards Juno and all she does is raise her head, letting Zuko pat her on the nose. Zuko looks back to Hana, his mouth agape in a wide smile. Hana can't stop her own smile from appearing on her face.

That smile vanishes on his face when Zuko turns back to Hana. "What are you going to do?"

Hana presses her lips into a thin line and trains her eyes on a rock by her feet as she tries to come up with an answer. She truly doesn't know what to do. She's heard the stories. What she's learned about the others who held the Dragon's Scale on their bodies. Most, if not all, become Fire Lords, but few were high ranking generals or politicians. But that's not what she wants to be. That's not who she was at all.

"I'm not going to become the Fire Lord," Hana decides. "If that's what you're asking." 

Zuko raises his hands to cup her face "But it's your destiny. You were born with the marks."

"Those don't mean anything."

"Don't mean anything?" Zuko gaps. "I think it means a lot. You- your kind was supposed to be ruling the Fire Nation for a long time and my great-grandfather took that from you."

Hana closes her head as she nods, the skin of his hands skimming her face. "Yes, I agree on that end, but that doesn't mean that I should. I can't go about sixteen years of my life and then be told I'm supposed to lead an entire Nation."

"Then who should?"

"You," Hana basically shouts. "You, you absolute moron. You were born and raised to lead a Nation. I was born and raised to sell shiny things to other morons like you with too much money. It's not my destiny to lead the Fire Nation. It's yours." Hana is helplessly falling into Zuko's eyes. "I will help you though. I will always be around when you need me." She jumps onto the back of her dragon and reaches out her hand to Zuko. "Now let's start with the Avatar's group."

* * *

Hana hides behind Appa as she listens to Zuko's speech to the others. She prays to the former Keepers that this all goes well, that they will let him in just like they had for her. But even then it took them weeks, and a lot of deep conversation to accept and trust her. And she didn't betray any of them like he had.

This was going to go poorly.

As soon as Zuko makes his presence known, everyone waits with bated breath to see what he would do. Everyone except Appa who bounds over to the Fire Prince and licks his face. "I know you must be surprised to see me here."

Sokka releases a comically loud sigh. "Not really, since you've followed us all over the world."

Zuko is visibly uncomfortable, bouncing over from one foot to the next. "Right. Well, uh... anyway, what I wanted to tell you about is that I've changed, and I- I'm good now. And, well, I think I should join your group. Oh, and I can teach firebending... to you." Confused, Aang lowers his staff further. "See, I uh..."

"You want to know?" Toph interrupts the prince.

Katara narrows her eyes. "You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you? I mean, how stupid do you think we are?"

"Yeah, all you've ever done is try to hunt us down and capture Aang." Sokka glares at Zuko.

"I've done some good things." He takes a step forward. "I mean, I could've stolen your bison in Ba Sing Se, but I set him free." He thrusts both arms out towards Appa to prove his point. "That's something." Appa licks Zuko's back to his surprise.

"Appa-" the siblings look to Toph "-does seem to like him."

Sokka turns back towards Zuko. "He probably just covered himself in honey or something so that Appa would lick him. I'm not buying it."

"I can understand why you wouldn't trust me, and I know I've made some mistakes." Zuko can't bring himself to look at any of them. "In the past."

Sokka's the first to snap. "Like when you attacked our village?"

"Or when you stole my mother's necklace and used it to track us down-" Katara takes a step forward, her hands balled into fists "-and capture us?"

Hana winces as she continues to listen to Zuko try and try again to make the rest of the gang believe him. She knew that he had done some bad things in the past, but she didn't know  _ how many _ bad things he had done. "Look, I admit I've done some awful things." Zuko lowers his head and presses a palm against his temple. "I was wrong to try to capture you, and I'm sorry that I attacked the Water Tribe. And I never should've sent that Fire Nation assassin after you." Hana's body stills in shock and she can only imagine the rest of her friends do the same. "I'm gonna try to stop h-"

"Wait, you sent-" Sokka interrupts him again as he unsheathes his boomerang, holding it towards Zuko "-Combustion Man after us?"

Zuko panics slightly. "Well, that's not his name, but..."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to insult your friend." Sokka glares.

Even the ever content Toph breaks her silence in anger. "That guy locked me and Katara in jail and tried to blow us all up."

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Zuko looks to the Avatar. "You once said you thought we could be friends. You know I have good in me." She peeks around the corner to look at them all, and it is not a good situation.

Aang's face is hard as he looks at Zuko. "There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done. We'll never let you join us." Hana can't see his face, but she can tell he's even shocked by the way he takes a step back.

"You need to get out of here, now," Katara barks.

Zuko takes a more confident step towards them. "I'm trying to explain that I'm not that person anymore. Please let me help. I can teach you firebending." He takes another step but Sokka turns toward the prince and throws his boomerang out as a warning. Zuko takes a step back.

"Hana is better than you. And she hasn't tried to kill us either," Katara says.

"Please, just listen," Hana whispers to herself.

"Where is Hana anyway? Did you get her killed?" Sokka yells.

"No, of course not-" Zuko starts.

"Did you get her taken prisoner? You're good at getting people taken to prison," Katara throws the insult at his face for Zuko to sit in his regrets once more.

That's when Hana decides it's time to step in.

"That's enough!" She yells, pushing herself off of the pillar and moving around Appa. She sets her hand on Zuko's shoulder, moving him to her side.

"I understand the hesitation," she says. "Trust me I do, but the verbal bombardment is a little much. He's trying."

"Hana?!" Aang cries. "Why were you hiding? Why are you advocating for him?"

The firebender takes a deep breath. "You all know why," she says, feeling Juno scrape her nose against the back of her legs. Probably not helping the open and trusting demeanor she's trying to put out. "I've explained to all of you my history with him and I hope that we've built a relationship that even if you don't trust him right now that you at least trust me when I say that his intentions aren't bad."

Katara steps forward. "So you betrayed us just because you love him?" The 'l' word shakes Hana to her core but she compartmentalizes the word inside her brain to figure out at a later time.

"Betraying?" Hana laughs. "Oh no. I think you have that definition skewed. You see, what Zuko did to me and Iroh was betrayal. And yet here I am. I don't fully trust him yet, but I believe that he has good in him. That what he says is sincere and true."

"How do we know we can trust you now?" Sokka asks through gritted teeth.

Surprisingly, having Sokka question her hurts more than when his sister did it. "From the moment I meet you I've done nothing but help you. I helped you fight him in Ba Sing Sa. I found and captured a Fire Nation Warship for you to take refugees in. I stole for you,  _ fought _ for you. I saved your life more time than I can count," Hana explains.

The Avatar shakes his head before turning back to the Fire Prince. "Well, we won't ever let you join us!"

Hana looks from the group to Zuko as he drops to his knees and holds out his arms, as if waiting for handcuffs. "If you won't let me join you, at least take me as your prisoner."

Hana watches as Katara bends the water to push him onto the ground.

"Katara, stop!" Hana growls.

"Never, ever, come back here if you want to continue living," she threatens. "Hana, I'd watch yourself if I were you."

They all turn their backs to the two and walk back into the temple, except for Toph who stands before them for a moment and then follows the rest of her group. Hana takes Zuko's hand and squeezes hard. "Lets go."

Zuko turns to her. "Shouldn't you go after them?"

Watching her friends back, Hana shakes her head. "It would only make it worse, trust me. It'd be best if I stayed away for a while."

They walk in silence, or as silent as they could get with a building-tall dragon following behind them, knocking down trees and crushing everything under her feet. Besides her, it's quiet. It's a good quiet though. The kind that calms Hana's every nerve.

It isn't until they make it back to his encampment when Zuko speaks again."Why won't they listen?" He asks her, rubbing his face with his hands.

"I don't know," she starts. "Maybe because you told them that you were the one who sent an assassin after them. Which was super awful by the way. Even by your standards."

"Sorry, maybe if I had told them Azula did that, they would've believed it," he says. "That is something she would do."

"Zuko, you might just have to give it time. You did put them through a lot," she says. "Katara especially can hold a mean grudge. She didn't talk to me until two weeks before the invasion, and even then we just ended up yelling at each other."

"I'm never going to get them to trust me."

Hana puts her hands on Zuko's shoulders. "Zuko, it's fine. Just roll with the punches and-"

"I don't want to roll with the punches!" He pulls out of her grasp. "Why am I so bad at being good?"

"You're not bad," she sighs. "You've just never had any practice."

"What?"

Hana sits down on the grassy floor, the breeze pushing and pulling the hair around her. "You've never needed to be good. You were a prince. A Fire Nation prince on top of that. And even when you were a fugitive, you weren't particularly trying to be good and nice to everyone. Except for those last few days in Ba Sing Sae. It was like you were a whole different person there."

Zuko sighs, coming to lay down next to her. "It was because I have never been happier than when I was with you and my uncle in Ba Sing Sae."

"More than when you were back home? When your father gave back your honor," Hana asks, drawing circles in the grass with her finger.

"Especially more than there," Zuko says. "No one could make me as happy as you."

Hana sighs and closes her eyes, falling to the grassy floor. She knows she needs to ask or else the question would pester her until the end of her life. The answer shouldn't matter. Should it? "Don't you miss her?"

"Who?" He asks. His eyes shine in the evening sun and the skin on his face looks sun-kissed. It's the face that makes it hard to breathe and even harder to think. That's what makes her question so hard to ask. How can she form a question when each time she looks at him, her breath is taken from her.

"Your girlfriend," Hana clarifies. "Your sister couldn't wait to tell me that you'd moved on."

"My ex-girlfriend." He grabs her hand and places a gentle kiss on her palm. "You know I meant every word I said in Ba Sing Sae. I was ready to make a life there with you. I'll never be able to apologize enough for what I did to you."

Hana places a gentle finger on his lips. "It's okay, you don't have to."

"But I will," Zuko says, holding her hand in between his. "Every single day of our lives I will. As long as you'll let me, of course."

Hana struggles for breath as she just looks at him. Several breaths are shared between them before she nods, a single tear running down her temple and into the grass. She sits up on the grass and leans down to kiss Zuko on the tip of his nose. 

"I'm proud of you," Hana says as she runs her fingers through his hair. 

A crease lines in between his eyebrows. "For what?"

"The way you stood up to your father. You were very brave. Crazy, but brave." An emotion Hana can't place is swimming through the prince's eyes. "I'm sorry he isn't the father you wanted or deserve."

The sun has finally set and Hana knows that she could safely walk back to camp without being spotted and slip into her bedroll before anyone can ask any questions. She runs her fingers through Zuko's hair once more before slipping her fingers down his cheek and to his chest. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She holds his hand as long as she can before slipping away once again into the night.

* * *

The second that Hana's eyes open, she can hear the bickering. "Why would he try to fool us like that?" Katara asks, her voice full of venom.

"Obviously, he wants to lead us into some kind of trap," her brother replies.

"This is just like when we were in prison together in Ba Sing Se. He starts talking about his mother, and making it seem like he's an actual human being with feelings." Katara paces back and forth.

"He is a human being with feelings. He has a hard life, he's telling the truth. He is good now, he's changed," Hana snaps at her remark. It's too early in the morning to be having to defend the Fire Nation prince.

They all turn to look at Hana rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "Look who's finally awake," Toph says, a Cheshire grin slowly spreading on her face. "Wonder what, or who, kept you up so late last night."

"Shut it," she threatens.

Sokka sides with his sister. "Hana you can't just cozy up to him again. I know you have a history with him but he wants you to trust him and feel sorry for him, so you let your guard down, then he strikes." He punches his fist out. "Just like he did with you Katara."

"The thing is, it worked. I did feel sorry for him. I felt like he was really confused and hurt. But obviously when the time came, he made his choice, and we paid the price. We can't trust him."

"Katara, he was hurt and confused," Hana replies.

"How can you even defend him after what he did to you, to all of us?" She glares at me.

"Because he's a child who's made mistakes because he thought that's how he was going to get back into good graces with his father. I think you all forget that he's only sixteen. That  _ we're _ all children." She looks at all of her friends to find they can't meet her eye. "Are we not allowed to make mistakes? Are we not allowed to grow up? Sokka, you're only a year younger than him. You can't tell me you wouldn't do anything to make your father proud."

He can't say anything to her when Hana finishes. In fact, none of them can say anything.

"I kind of have a confession to make," the Avatar finally speaks up. "Remember when you two were sick and I got captured by Zhao?"

Sokka crosses his arms and looks at Aang. "And you made us suck on frozen frogs? How could I forget?" He throws down his sleeping bag. "I had a wart on the flap that hangs down from the back of my throat for a month!"

"Anyway, when Zhao had me chained up, it was Zuko who came in and got me out. He risked his life to save me." Aang's eyes are trained on his shoes.

"No way," Katara says, her hands on her hips. "I'm sure he only did it so he could capture you himself."

Sokka steps towards Aang. "Face it Aang. You're nothing but a big prize to him."

"You're probably right."

"Aang, I-" Hana tries to speak but Katara cuts her off. "Zuko is lying." She glares at the fire-bender.

"Actually-" everyone turns back to look at Toph, who hasn't said much this conversation "-he wasn't lying." The other three have looks on their faces like Toph just spoke another language. "I'm just saying that considering his messed-up family, and how he was raised, he could've turned out a lot worse."

"You're right." Katara throws her arms in the air. "Toph, let's go find him and give him a medal." Her words drip with sarcasm. "The 'not-as-much-of-a-jerk-as-you-could-have-been' award."

Toph crosses her arms. "All I know is that while he was talking to us, he was sincere. Maybe you're all just letting your hurt feelings keep you from thinking clearly."

The waterbender stands her ground. "Easy for you to say, you weren't there when he had us attacked by pirates."

Sokka clenches his fist. "Or when he burned down Kyoshi Island."

"Or when he tried to capture me at the fire temple," Aang adds.

"That's not fair and you know it," Hana growls. From behind her Juno's head is snaking next to the firebender, baring her own teeth and growling her own deep growl. It's as if her emotions were directly linked to Hana's

Despite this, Katara doesn't back down. "You're just saying that because you have feelings for him." She turns back to Toph. "And why would you even try to defend him?"

"Because Katara, you're all ignoring one crucial fact." Toph says, very exasperated with her friends. "Aang needs a firebending teacher. Han won't do it and we can't think of a single other person in the world to do the job. Now one shows up on a silver platter and you won't even think about it?"

"I'm not having Zuko as my teacher." Aang walks off before he can hear any more arguments.

"You're darn rig-" Hana can hear Sokka continue to talk but the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. She spins around when he's in mid-sentence and her gaze locks onto Combustion man as he rears his head back and inhales, preparing to fire a blast of energy. 

"Get out of the way," she screams, as the assassin Zuko sent after them sends another mind missile in their direction. Aang pushes Katara out of the way and Sokka grabs Toph as Hana ducked behind one of the large pillars after sending her beast away, not wanting to know the result of having a should-be-extinct animal hit by that horrible blow.

"How did he find us here?" Sokka yells.

"I don't know but we need to figure something out before he blasts us away like the fountain," Katara says.

"Zuko," Aang says.

"I don't think this is the right time to-" Sokka starts.

"No, he's fighting off Combustion Man," Aang points out, making everyone peek out to catch the scene playing out on the cliff. Hana turns back around just as she hears him shout. "Stop! I don't want you hunting the Avatar anymore." Shock forms in the Avatar's features.

"The mission is off. I'm ordering you to stop!"

Combustion Man shoves Zuko out of the way and fires another blast at the top of the fountain, destroying it. The five - Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph and Hana - continue to take shelter behind the pillar, covering their head as debris falls from the ceiling.

"If you keep attacking, I won't pay you!" Hana keeps her eyes trained on Combustion Man as he stops Zuko in his tracks by grabbing him by the shirt. Zuko throws his fireball, but misses as it hits the ground. "All right, I'll pay you double to stop!" Zuko swings his arms down, making Combustion Man release him.

The prince turns and executes a jumping side kick just as Combustion Man fires another shot, knocking Zuko away. The blast of energy travels down past the ledge where the fountain rests and explodes as it makes contact with an upside down pagoda below it. Zuko lands on his hands and feet, Combustion Man standing over him. Hana feels her blood turn cold. The assassin inhales another deep breath, getting ready to fire at Zuko again. Zuko quickly creates a shield of fire but it isn't strong enough and the push-back from the attack sends him off the ledge. 

"Zuko!" Hana screams, watching him getting sent over the edge. Hana's about the run out but Aang grabs her by the arm, holding her behind the pillar. Hana's dragon roars to life, but instead of going for the assassin, she dives down to where Zuko fell.

"I've got an idea," Sokka says, pulling out his boomerang. He angels it and tosses it at the assassin, which hits him in the middle of his forehead with a thunk.

"Yeah, boomerang," Sokka shouts, raising his hands in the air in victory. But as soon as the victory comes, it ends as Combustion Man stands up. "Awww, boomerang."

He faces the five one more time. His mind laser starts glowing, but instead of sending another blast their way, it blows up the man along with the cliff side. Hana rips herself out of Aang's grasp and races towards the edge of the temple. She frantically looks into the clouds looking for any sign of life. When she doesn't see anything, she screams. This can't be happening. She just got him back.

In the distance, she hears the beat of wings and she looks up to see Juno flying towards her, Zuko in her mouth. She lands on the ground and gently sets him down. Hana runs for them, wrapping a dazed and groaning Zuko in her arms. She opens her eyes to look her dragon into her eyes.

"Good dragon," she whispers. She pulls away from Zuko but still grasps his shoulders. "I think you've made your point."

Zuko shakes himself out of his daze and takes a breath before walking towards the others. "Listen, I know I didn't explain myself very well yesterday. I've been through a lot in the past few years, and it's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honor. It's something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right. All I want now is to play my part in ending this war. And I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world."

Hana watches Aang, awaiting his reply. His expression doesn't change but he does nod, not to Zuko but to himself. He looks down for a second before looking back up to Zuko. "I think you are supposed to be my firebending teacher. When I first tried to learn firebending, I burned Katara. And after that, I never wanted to firebend again. But now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love." He glances at Hana before bowing to Zuko. "I'd like you to teach me."

Zuko smiles warmly, bowing to Aang. "Thank you. I'm so happy you've accepted me into your group."

"Not so fast. I still have to ask my friends if it's okay with them. Toph, what do you think?"

Toph is quiet for a second. "Go ahead and let him join. It'll give me plenty of time to get back at him for getting me locked up."

Aang looks over to the siblings. "Sokka?"

Sokka closes his eyes and hangs his head for a second, then shrugs. "Hey, all I want is to defeat The Fire Lord. If you think this is the way to do it, then I'm all for it." He looks over at Hana. "And it seems to keep Hana happy."

An annoyed smile pulls at her face. "You're only saying that because I scare the crap out of you."

Aang looks at the girl. "What about you?"

"You don't even need to ask me." She keeps her head held high as she strokes Juno's head. "It'll always be yes."

Aang nods and turns to Katara last. "Katara?" She looks at Zuko and frowns. Zuko waits anxiously for the answer, beads of sweat rolling down his cheek. "I'll go along with whatever you think is right."

The smile that breaks out onto Zuko's face makes Hana's heart skip a beat. "I won't let you down, I promise." The group turns and walks away. Zuko is still smiling that heart-mangling smile as he watches them leave.

"It's good to see you smile," she whispers in his ear. He looks over at the girl and somehow, that smile widens. Hana doesn't think her heart can beat any faster. She wants to chastise herself for turning into a pile of goo for the boy, but come on... have you seen him?

"I actually have reasons to smile now." She stands corrected as not only does her heartbeat quicken, but it also grows louder in her ears. Her own smile is plastered on her face as she grabs his hands and pulls him into the Western Air Temple.


	26. The Firebending Masters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's told that I am to make the decisions of the people of the Fire Nation, and I chose him to lead them."
> 
> The Chief is silent for a while, studying Hana as she continues to watch Zuko and Aang. "You've thought about this for a while, Keeper. You trust him?"
> 
> "With my life," she answers. "Along with the people of the Fire Nation."

  
  


> " He who wants to be a dragon must eat many little snakes ."
> 
> \- Chinese Proverb
> 
>   
>    
> 

Hana's sitting some ways away, munching on a moon peach while watching Zuko teach the Avatar. Juno's peacefully taking a nap next to her, not minding that her person rests against her. She listens intently as Zuko turns to Aang. "I know you're nervous, but remember... firebending in and of itself is not something to fear."

Aang sighs, shaking out his limbs but he still looks hesitant. "Okay. Not something to fear."

Zuko crosses his arms. "But if you don't respect it, it'll chew you up and spit you out like an angry komodo rhino!" This doesn't help the Avatar calm down at all. "Now show me what you've got. Any amount of fire you can make."

Aang exhales, taking in a nervous breath before attempting to firebend. He punches out his arm. His palm releases a small cloud of smoke which dissipates within a second. Aang looks from Hana to Zuko with a sheepish smile. "Maybe I need a little more instruction. Perhaps a demonstration?"

The prince nods his head. "Good idea. You might want to take a couple steps back." He gestures for Aang to move backward and he takes a seat next to Hana. He takes in a breath and proceeds to firebend. The result is a rather pathetic burst of flame. Aang applauds.

Zuko recoils back. "What was that? That was the worst firebending I've ever seen!"

Aang looks at the prince. "I thought it was-" The Avatar struggles for words and looks to Hana for assistance. "Nice," she finishes for him. He nods his head in agreement.

The flames that are produced by the prince are all the same, small size. No bigger than his fist. He continues punching, trying to make his fire bigger. When he finally stops he growls in frustration and stares at his palms. "Why is this happening?!"

"Maybe it's the altitude," Hana chimes.

Zuko turns away from the two. "Yeah, could be." He gestures for Hana and she does, getting up off Juno and breaking her sleep. The dragon yawns, her eyes following her keeper. "You try. You try to firebend."

She nods and puts on foot in front of the other. Almost instantly, even at the thought of firebending, Hana's body temperature begins to rise. Fire swirls through her veins and by the time she pushes her hand out in an attack-like form, a large flame takes over most of her hand and travels through the air. She looks back at Zuko, who looks more annoyed than ever now, and stands next to her in the same pose she's in. The prince mimics the other firebenders' moves but the same pitiful flame is made.

Aang continues to watch Zuko and Hana firebend back to back, the Fire Prince lacking compared to the keeper beside him. He tries again, and again, and again, and again. With each unimproved attack the prince lets out a yell of frustration. At one point, Aang and Juno both fell back asleep.

"Just breathe, and..." Zuko pauses to firebend again. He punches, producing another small flame.

Aang sits up, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. "That one kind of felt hot."

Zuko lashes out. "Don't patronize me. You know what it's supposed to look like!"

"Sorry, Sifu Hotman."

The prince throws his hands in the air. "And stop calling me that!" Aang recoils at his outburst. Hana hesitantly places her hand on Zuko's shoulder. He spins around, preparing to take his anger out on the person but stops cold when his eyes find hers. Her own vulnerability shines in her gold eyes, tampering his anger immediately.

As soon as the crunch of an apple pierces the silence between them. Zuko turns his head just as Sokka bites into his apple and sits down next to Aang. "Hey, jerks. Mind if I watch you two jerks do your jerkbending?"

"Get out of here!" Zuko growls before turning back to Hana. She releases a breathy laughter and brings a hand up to touch his forearm.

The prince instantly melts into her touch.

Sokka looks amused. "Okay, take it easy." He drops his apple core, waves his hand in dismissal. "I was just kidding around." He stands up, adjusting his shirt. "Jerkbending, still got it."

* * *

More time passes. Zuko still produces little flames, Hana watching and cheering from the sides and Aang taking a nap alongside the red dragon. When she finally gets him to give up for the night, Zuko and the rest come back to the campsite to have dinner. Hana tries to hand him a bowl of food, but the prince has his head in another place. She sits down by his feet, getting as close as she can for warmth. Juno has slowly become her personal fireplace and while the animal is out looking for her own dinner, Hana finds herself missing the warmth.

She takes a sip of her soup as Zuko pushes himself off the wall. "Listen everybody; I've got some pretty bad news. I've lost my stuff."

Toph raises both arms in innocence. "Don't look at me. I didn't touch your stuff."

"I'm talking about my firebending. It's gone." Hana's heart drops as she watches the prince walk back to her and crumple down next to her, leaning his head against her shoulder. Every part of Hana wants to comfort him but not now. Not with everyone looking at them. Even just his head leaning on her shoulder makes her nerves set themselves on fire.

She's drawn from her thoughts as Katara laughs loudly, everyone looking at her. "I'm sorry. I'm just laughing at the irony. You know... how it would have been nice for us if you lost your firebending a long time ago?"

"How could you be so cold?" Hana snaps. "Am I mistaken that you were the one who said that bending is a part of you? And you're just going to laugh at someone who lost a part of himself?"

"Well it's not lost. It's just weaker for some reason." Zuko lifts his head off Hana, but the feeling of him still lingers.

Katara glares at the two firebenders. "Maybe you're just not as good as you think you are." It takes everything in Hana to keep all of her boiling anger in her shaky hands and not have it become verbal assault.

Zuko chews on the inside of his cheek as he thinks. "I bet it's because I changed sides."

"That's ridiculous," Katara says before taking another drink from her bowl.

"I don't know. Maybe it isn't," Hana says, wrapping her arms around herself. "Firebending comes from within. It's really dependent on the bender's emotions. Maybe your firebending came from your rage, and you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to."

"You're going to have to teach Aang to firebend." It takes Hana a moment to realize the prince was talking to her.

"I already said I wouldn't do it." They all turn to Hana. "I'm not good enough to teach him. Plus, if I just end up doing it, it doesn't mean your bending would come back." She pauses, getting trapped in his gaze. "You've changed and you're no longer this lost and confused puppy, which is where your anger came from. Now that you know who you are, your rage is gone. But that also means your bending is changing too."

"So, all we need to do is make Zuko angry... easy enough." Sokka proceeds to nudge Zuko in the waist and head with the hilt of his sword several times.

Zuko shakes the boy off. "Cut it out!" Sokka stops what he is doing and his sword falls on his head. "Look... even if you're right." Zuko rubs the bridge of his nose. "I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore. There has to be another way."

"You're gonna need to learn to draw your firebending from a different source. I recommend the original source." Toph says before shoving more food into her mouth.

"How's he supposed to do that? By jumping into a volcano?" Sokka smirks, liking the idea a little too much.

Toph swallows her food. "No. Zuko needs to go back to whatever the original source of firebending is."

Sokka looks slightly more serious. "So is it jumping into a volcano?"

"I don't know. For earthbending, the original benders were badger moles. One day, when I was little, I ran away and hid in a cave. They were blind, just like me, so we understood each other." For a blind girl, the look of Toph's face makes her look like she's getting lost in the sight of a scene before her. "I was able to learn earthbending, not just as a martial art, but as an extension of my senses. For them, the original earthbenders, wasn't just about fighting. It was their way of interacting with the World."

"That's amazing, Toph. I learned from the monks, but the original airbenders were the Sky Bison." Aang looks over Appa. "Maybe you can give me a lesson sometime buddy." The animal growls in acknowledgement.

"Well then I guess I'm one of the lucky ones," Zuko says looking at Hana. "Because we, for some reason, have a dragon in our midst."

As if on queue, Juno returns from her hunt, landing behind Hana with a loud thump and putting out the fire with gusts of wind from her large wings. She re-lights the campfire and stands up to pet the bridge of Juno's nose. "I don't know how much she can teach you but you're welcome to use her. She has been bored these last few days so maybe it'll give her something to do."

Zuko and Aang make their way to the dragon. "Hey girl. Mind teaching us all about firebending."

Juno cocks her head to one side as if the words the boys are saying to her are just gibberish in her ears. They ask her a few more times, Zuko's demonstrating his little puffs of flame but she still just sits and watches them. Then the dragon gets up, circles the group and drops to the ground, falling asleep almost instantly. Everyone looks to Hana but she just shrugs. "I guess she's not an educational dragon."

Aang groans. "How am I going to learn firebending without a firebending master?"

"There could be another way." Zuko sits down next to Hana, leaning against the dragon's belly. "The first people to learn from the dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors."

Aang racks his memory for the group of people Zuko mentioned. "Sun Warriors? Well, I know they weren't around when I was a kid."

"No, they died off thousands of years ago," Hana says, reciting the information she learned when she was a girl. "But their civilization wasn't too far from where we are now. Maybe we can learn something by poking around their ruins."

The smile reappears on the Avatar's face. "It's like the monks used to tell me. Sometimes, the shadows of the past can be felt by the present."

"So, what?" Sokka groans. "Maybe you'll pick up some super old Sun Warrior energy just by standing where they stood a thousand years ago?"

Zuko looks back at Hana, a glint that she hasn't seen in a while in his eyes. "More or less. Either I find a new way to firebend, or the Avatar has to find a new teacher." Hana looks to the Avatar, who for once seems all for standing with the Fire Nation Prince.

"It sounds like the best idea we have." Hana slips her hands behind her head. "It wouldn't hurt to go check it out anyways."

Aang smiles, the same glint that is in Zuko's eyes is now in his. "Are you going to come with us? It would be cool to see where Juno came from."

Hana opens her mouth but tumbles over when Juno's tail thumps against her back, bending Hana over her lap. When she sits back up she looks at the dragon, who has one eye open before closing it quickly when her keeper catches her looking.

"I think she just answered for me."

* * *

Zuko turns his head observing everything. "Even though these buildings are ancient, there's something eerily familiar about them. I can tell the Fire Sages' temples are somehow descended from these."

"We learned something about architecture. Hopefully, we'll learn something about firebending to. The past can be a great teacher," Aang replies. That hope hasn't diminished since they landed. They're still waiting for Hana and Juno, the dragon still not comfortable with other people riding her, and explore the area around them as they do so. 

Aang trips over a black wire. The ground in front of him drops to reveal a bed of black, deadly spikes. He flies forward, closing his eyes and waits for the worst. But the worst never comes as something hooks under his arms and pulls him off the ground. The Avatar looks up to see Juno and Hana. "It looks like you needed some help."

Juno drops him to the ground and the Avatar stumbles slightly as the firebender dismounts from her dragon. "Guys, I think the past is trying to kill me," he shudders.

Zuko kneels down to inspect the wire. "I can't believe it. This booby trap must be centuries old, and it still works."

"If there's one, there must be more," Hana says, taking a survey of the land. "I don't believe that this land is completely uninhabited. Somebody has to live here or else these traps wouldn't work." She turns and walks away from them.

Zuko grabs her arm. "Where do you think you're going?"

She smiles at him. "Don't worry about me. I'm just gonna explore this place a little, see if I can't find the people who live here," she tries to reassure him but he doesn't let go. She squeezes his hand before taking it off her arm. "What could go wrong? I mean, I have a dragon. Who's gonna mess with a girl with a dragon?"

Zuko and Aang watch as Hana walks off, Juno flying the skies above her. "I can't believe that she just left us here," the Avatar groans.

The prince turns to Aang. "Where's that upbeat attitude you were talking about? Besides, people don't make traps unless they've got something worth protecting."

The two continue walking to the rather grand and elaborate structure that seems to be intact. Zuko is leading up the stairs to the top of the structure. Thankfully they didn't run into any more traps but Zuko can't help but worry about Hana alone in this strange place.

"Look. This seems promising." Aang points to a carving of a person surrounded by concentric circles of fire breathed out by two dragons on each side of him. "Though I'm not sure what this tells us about the original source of firebending."

"They look pretty angry to me." Zuko looks closer at the carving.

Aang looks over at the prince. "I thought the dragons were friends with the Sun Warriors."

"Well, they had a funny way of showing it." Zuko looks away and takes a few steps before he's stopped by the Avatar.

"Zuko, something happened to the dragons in the last hundred years. Something you're not telling me." Aang is looking up at the prince with an expression that Zuko can't keep himself from telling him everything.

"My great-grandfather Sozin happened." Zuko spits out. "He had a way of killing everything that was in his way. Dragons, people. It didn't matter."

He takes a deep breath, walking a bit farther into the cave. "He started the tradition of hunting dragons for glory. They were the ultimate firebenders. And if you could conquer one, your firebending talents would become legendary, and you'd earn the honorary title 'Dragon'." They reach the end of the bridge and at the end there's two dragon statues. One of the statues is missing a head. "The last great dragon was conquered long before I was born, by my uncle."

Aang is taken back for a moment. "But I thought your uncle was, I don't know, good?"

"He had a complicated past. Family tradition, I guess. Let's just move on," Zuko replies, not wanting to look the Avatar in the eye.

Zuko lifts his head to see a column with a red jewel embedded in the center. The column is positioned in front of a structure with two yellow doors. They walk towards the doors and Aang drops his staff, attempting to open them with his bare hands to no avail.

"It's locked up," Aang calls out.

Zuko reaches his hand in the air, seeing the light coming in through a single circular window. "Wait." He steps aside to reveal that beam of red light resting on a circle on the ground. "It's a celestial calendar. Just like the Fire Sages have in their temples. I bet that Sun Stone opens the door, but only when sunlight hits it at just the right angle, on the solstice."

Aang groans. "Monkey feathers! The solstice again? We can't wait here that long."

"No we can't." Zuko unsheathes his sword and lays it in the path of the red beam. "But we might be able to speed time up. Let's see if we can outsmart the Sun Stone." He adjusts his sword until the beam of light moves shakily across the doors and successfully hits the Sun Stone. Then it glows brightly.

"Nothing's happening." Aang groans.

Zuko holds his sword above his head, moving it centimeters at a time until the beam of light is directly on the gem. The ground starts to shake and when the rumbling stops, the door opens.

Aang picks his staff up. "You know, Zuko, I don't care what everyone else says about you-" Aang nudges him as the prince puts his sword back "-you're pretty smart."

The compliment feels nice but the good feeling leaves when he realizes it's more back-handed than he originally thought. The Avatar takes the lead going into the room first. His eyes fall onto more lion-headed statues that pull a gasp from his mouth.

"Relax. They're just statues," Zukos replies to his reaction.

"It says this is something called the Dancing Dragon. Zuko, get over here! I want you to dance with me!" 

Zuko pulls back in shock. "What?"

"Just do it." Aang takes his arm and drags him away.

Aang pulls the prince in front of two statues that are to the sides of the path that leads into a circle. Zuko, in a very Zuko-like manner, groans. 

"Let's follow the steps of the statues," Aang says. Aang and Zuko take the posture of the statue in front of them and move to their right and left, respectively, taking the postures of the statues in front of them, which press similar buttons lying on the ground in front of all the statues.

"I don't think these are just dance moves. These statues are giving us a lesson," Zuko says as they move through each statue. "I think this is some kind of Sun Warrior firebending form."

Aang follows Zuko's lead, bending towards each other. They ebb and flow while following the moves that each of the statues depicts. Then they stop, sweaty and breathing hard, and the ground detracts and a vertical column emerging from it. From the column, a yellow, egg-shaped sun stone stands. Zuko and Aang stand in front of the column and Aang raises his arms in triumph.

"Wait, what exactly is it?" Zuko asks.

"I don't know," Aang confesses. "It's some kind of mysterious gemstone."

Zuko runs to the gemstone with every intention of picking it up and running out of the cave with it, but the sound of the Avatar's voice stops his cold. 

"Wait, don't touch it!" Zuko stops and Aang catches up to him.

Zuko turns back to the boy. "Why not?"

"Remember what happened out there with those spikes?" He turns to look at the gem from the side. "I'm just very suspicious of giant glowing gems sitting on pedestals."

Zuko ignores the Avatar anyways and picks the sun stone. "It feels almost alive." He tries to put the sun stone back but yells in surprise as a geyser of viscous slime erupts out from the pedestal and pushes Zuko toward the grates in the ceiling, sticking him there.

Aang panics, looking for any way to get out of the room slowly filling with sticky slime, but as he turns to look at the gates, they close. "Oh no, it's another trap!"

More viscous slime comes from the column, causing Aang to take more steps backwards. Zuko who is still stuck to the grates and unsuccessfully struggles to break free. "Ugh, I can't pull free. It's like some kind of glue." 

Aang jumps across the slime and grabs his staff on the other side of the room. He climbs on a statue's head, jumps onto another of the statues' heads and airbends a gust of wind toward Zuko, but the prince only rolls from his back onto his chest. The slime continues to rise. It snatches Aang's staff and he tries to pull it out but he is not successful. He jumps up toward the grates, as the slime engulfs the room. Pushing Aang and Zuko up against the metal grate at the top of the room.

Aang tries to budge the metal bars. "I can't move. Zuko, do something!"

"Me?" Zuko growls. "I can't move either."

The boys groan in discomfort from the pressure of the goo pushing them against the grating. They both think that the substance was going to crush them against the bars but suddenly the goo stops.

"It stopped," Aang gasps.

"At least we have air. Maybe if we stay calm we can figure a way out of this." Zuko replies.

A few hours later, the sun has disappeared below the horizon and there is still no sign of a savior. Zuko's been keeping his eyes trained to the sky, looking for any sign of Hana or Juno.

"You had to pick up the glowing egg, didn't you?" Aang signs, rolling his eyes.

"At least I made something happen. If it were up to you, we'd never have made it pass the courtyard," Zuko snaps back.

Aang takes a deep breath. "Help!"

The person comes into view. "Who is down there?" He is in tribal gear and wearing a Chieftian's hat with warpaint on his face.

Three more Sun Warriors open the grate and pull them both out of the goo, covered from head to toe. Anteater-like animals sit on either side of them and lick the goo off. They are pushed to their knees as they are surrounded by semi-circles of men and women wearing gear identical to the Chief's. Four warriors are holding a small flame in their hands.

The Chief looks down at the two. "For trying to take our Sun Stone, you must be severely punished!"

"My name is Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. Or at least, I used to be. I know my people have distorted the ways of firebending, to be fueled by anger and rage. But now I want to learn the true way." Zuko looks to the ground. "When we came here, I never imagined the Sun Warrior civilization was secretly alive. I am truly humbled to be in your presence. Please, teach us." They both bow their heads in respect.

From behind the semi-circle the two boys hear their names being called out by a familiar voice. They look up to see a red dragon flying into their sight and when she lands, Hana jumps off before running to them.

"Keeper," the Chief calls Hana before stepping to the side. "Do you know these two?"

Hana nods as she takes Zuko's face into her hands, examining his person for any injury. "Yes, I do. Gosh, I leave you guys for five minutes and you get into all sorts of trouble." Hana looks over the Avatar before turning back to the Chief. "They are my friends, and while they might have caused you a lot of trouble they mean no harm so please if you could all put your weapons down."

Suddenly, everyone around them puts their weapons back to their sides and Hana helps the boys to their feet. Zuko leans close to Hana. "What happened to you? How did you find them?" The prince whispers in her ear.

"A story for another time," she says before stepping back to the Chief. "These are the two I was telling you about. They wish to learn how to firebend from the masters themselves."

The Chief just nods his head before considering the boys. "Since you are friends of the Keeper, I will allow you to learn from the masters Ran and Shao." Though he is giving him what they want, the Chief still looks down on them.

"Ran and Shao? There are two of them?" Aang asks.

The Chief steps in front of the boys. "When you present yourselves to them, they will examine you. They'll read your hearts, your souls, and your ancestry." He takes a step towards Zuko, his presence towers over him. "If they deem you worthy they'll teach you. If they don't, you'll be destroyed on the spot." The Chief steps back to speak quietly to Hana after finishing his lecture.

Aang and Zuko look at each other as they watch Hana nod to what the Chief is telling her. When they're done, she walks back to them and grabs their hands. "Relax, you two are going to be fine. If I'm not worried, then you shouldn't be either."

Sun Warriors are standing around the three in the semicircle again but this time a bulk of the circle is near Hana. 

"What happened to you? They seem to worship you?"

A smile sneaks onto Hana's face. "That's because they do. This is Juno's birthplace so when they saw her again they knew that I, her Keeper, had to be with her." Hana's eyes trail upwards to follow Juno as she flies back and forth in the sky. "They told me that once this was the birthplace of every dragon. Every Keeper had a soul bond with a dragon but with the deaths of the Keepers of the Dragon's Scale, came the deaths of the dragons and now only a few remain. Juno's apparently my soul-bond and on the Day of the Black Sun when I broke down, she felt that and raced to protect me."

"So they're the last people to remember the Keepers and their dragons?" Zuko asks, his voice barely a whisper.

"Seems so. When they saw me, confirmed my markings, they treated me like a God." Her face twists. "It's a little unsettling."

Soon they are standing before a dome shaped building. Juno flies to the building and lands on the top, growling happily. The Chief turns back to the three.

"If you're going to see the masters, you must bring them a piece of the eternal flame." The eternal flame burns fiercely behind him. "This fire is the very first one." He raises his arms. "It was given to the first Keeper by the dragons who, in turn, gave it to Man. We have kept it going for thousands of years."

Shock takes over Zuko's face. "I don't believe it."

"You will each take a piece of it to the masters to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending," the Chief explains.

Aang bounces on his feet. "Um, Mister Sun Chief, sir? Yeah... I'm not a firebender yet. Couldn't one of my friends here carry my fire for me?"

The Chief looks at Aang squarely, apparently the awe of the Keepers doesn't reach the Avatar. "No." He holds his hand out to the flame then pulls the fire towards his palm. "This ritual illustrates the essence of Sun Warrior philosophy." He turns a full circle and splits the fire equally into two. You must maintain a constant heat. The flame will go out if you make it too small." Aang cringes. "Make it too big, and you might lose control." Zuko is staring coolly at the flame and he proceeds to cradle the flame in his hands.

Aang still looks a little unsure. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little nervous." He proceeds to gather it into his hands. Relief overtakes his face when the flame grows larger. "It's like a little heartbeat."

The Chief backs away and ushers Hana towards him, where she takes the spot next to him.

"Hana's not coming with us?" Aang asks.

The Chief shakes his head. "She has already proven herself worthy to the masters."

"Because of the Dragon's Scale on her back?" Zuko asks.

"No boy," the Chief says, raising his voice. "She has been chosen by Juno herself. Juno saw that fire in Hana that comes when you are worthy. You will think twice before you speak to your future Fire Lord like that."

Hana's eyes widen and she pulls the Chief back. "It's fine. Please, we don't need a fight breaking out."

He bows to her. "You are right. My apologies, keeper. As I was saying before, fire is life, not just destruction. You will take your flames up there." The Chief points to a rocky mountain nearby and the boy turns their heads. "The cave of the masters is beneath that rock."

Zuko looks back at Hana. "Go," she says. "I'll be fine while you go do your firebending thing, I promise." Then they start walking in the direction of the mountain. The two travel in silence most of the way. They make their way through a forest, then a steep grassy incline. About halfway through, Zuko turns around to see Aang lagging a distance behind.

"Hurry up," Zuko calls out.

"I can't." Aang places one hand on the rock. "If I walk too fast, my flame will go out." He looks at his rather small flame.

Zuko continues to climb up another rock. "Your flame's gonna go out because it's too small. You're too timid. Give it more juice." When he looks back again, he finds the Avatar not even looking at him. "Hey, you can do it. I know you can. You're a talented kid."

It's dusk by the time the boys arrive at their destination. The Chief, Hana and the warriors are already there and poised in an alternating standing and sitting position. Zuko looks up at the U-shaped rock with a bridge across the center.

The Chief walks towards us. "Facing the judgment of the firebending masters will be very dangerous for you." He looks at Zuko. "Your ancestors are directly responsible for the dragons' as well as their Keepers disappearances." Zuko lowers his head. "The masters might not be so happy to see you."

Ham Gao places his hand on his hip, trying to intimidate Zuko. "I know I wouldn't be."

Aang speaks up. "But once they find out I'm the Avatar-"

"Have you forgotten that you vanished allowing the Fire Nation to wreak havoc on the world? The decline of the dragons is your burden too," the Chief growls. Aang also turns his head away.

The Chief drives his staff into the ground and the Sun Warriors separate sides of the staff, mirroring each other. The Chief grabs a section from each flame and places it on the Sun Warriors' palms. They move away and the Chief removes his staff. Each warrior who receives the flame, bends it around in a circle a few times before the next warrior bends a small part of the flame towards the next and repeats the process.

"We could turn back now. We've already learned more about fire than we hoped," Aang says, showing the steady flame in his hands.

Zuko can't say he hadn't thought about it a few times while they walked up the mountain. But right now, as he watches Hana in the middle of a bunch of Sun Warriors while they worship her, all he wants to know is why. "No, we're seeing this through to the end. We're gonna meet these masters and find out what's so great about them," Zuko replies as the glances at Aang.

Aang looks at the prince. "What if they judge us and attack us?"

"Well, we're the Fire Prince and the Avatar." Zuko unsheathes his sword slightly to emphasize his point and smiles. "Plus we have the Keeper of the Dragon's Scale right there, and I hear she's on our side. I think we can take these guys in a fight, whoever they are." 

The Chief and Hana step up to the boys. "You will walk up to the top of the bridge for your judgement. The Keeper will not help you as she, and her dragon, will stay down here."

Hana looks over to see the guys who both look like they want to argue. "Relax guys, despite the trouble you just got into, I know you don't need a babysitter. I will be right here, watching you, the whole time."

Zuko looks at Hana. "Are you sure?" She smiles and nods slightly. He looks from Hana to the Chief as he steps forward. "Bring 'em out."

The Chief opens his hand to the side. "Chanters!" The Sun Warriors who are sitting down beat in synchronized rhythm on their drums.

Hana places a hand on Aang's shoulder. "Be brave." He gives her a more reassured smile then she looks up at Zuko. She places her hand on his cheek, swiping her thumb where the scar meets skin. "Don't be a hothead."

She steps back to watch as they walk to the giant staircase. Zuko and Aang glance at each other and both take a deep breath before ascending. The warriors are still beating the drums. She watches the Sun Warriors beat their drums. Aang looks back, seemingly wanting to go back but he presses forward.

They're halfway there and the Chief watching their progress from the bottom. Juno nudges Hana with her nose and the firebender reaches around to pat the dragon on the nose.

She pulls her attention back to Zuko and Aang as they near the top. The music stops when they reach the top. They both look at the caves on the respective sides.

A Sun Warrior uses a megaphone-like object to amplify his voice. "Those who wish to meet the masters Ran and Shao will now present their fire." Hana can hear her heart beating in her ears.

Aang and Zuko turn towards the caves and bow down with their hands extended in front of them. The Chief steps forward. "Sound the call." A warrior takes a deep breath and blows into a wind instrument. A flock of birds scatter from the loud sound it produces.

The cave Aang's facing rumbles and vibrates as the rocks dislodge. Even from down on the ground, Hana can see him trembling in fear. Aang accidentally places his hand down, extinguishing his flame and turns towards Zuko.

He looks at Zuko's cave which remains undisturbed. Zuko turns and looks at the boy behind him. Aang puts his hand out in front of him but realizes his flame is gone and gasps, turning back towards Zuko again. Aang reaches for Zuko's fire and Zuko gently pushes him back. Aang waves his arms around before he reaches for Zuko's flame again.

"Stop cheating off me!" Zuko shouts.

"Quit being stingy!" Aang shouts again as he continues to reach for Zuko's flame.

Zuko raises his arms higher so the flame remains out of Aang's reach and Aang tries to grab it by sticking close to Zuko's back. He uses two hands to grab the flame from under Zuko's armpits and they struggle briefly before Zuko drops his hand, extinguishing the flame. They look at each other, unsure as Hana curses them from the ground.

The ground is shaking and rumbling as Hana keeps her eyes glued to the boys. They turn their heads towards the other cave.

A loud roar, not too unlike when Juno showed up on the Day of the Black Sun, cuts through the surrounding area then a red dragon shoots out of the cave. It circles around the bridge and the two standing in the center. The boys are overwhelmed by the powerful winds and stagger slightly. Hana's eyes follow the dragon as it moves gracefully in the sky. Then, a blue dragon flies out of the other cave and joins its partner in circling around each other, the bridge, and boys. They continue to circle each other, generating powerful winds.

Behind her, Juno is bouncing like she's excited to see the two again. She turns to silence her but in the corner of my eye, she sees the warriors bowing. She follows suit and bows but Juno keeps pushing Hana forward.

Ham Gao turns to the Chief. "Oh, here it comes. Any moment now... dinner for the masters."

The Chief turns his head towards Ham Gao. "Quiet, Ham Gao."

"What?" Ham Gao sulks and turns his head away. "Everyone's thinking it."

"Actually, I'm not." Hana glares at him, effectively getting Ham Gao to seal his mouth, before looking back towards her friends.

The dragons are still flying in an elaborate formation of turns, twists and curves. Aang seems deep in thought, he jumps around and says something to Zuko. Aang and Zuko get into the first posture of the Dancing Dragon before moving through the positions. Aang spreads his arms out as the blue dragon flies behind him following the shape of his arms. The Avatar turns his arms to his side as the dragon turns as well, the dragons performing the same movements as each other. Zuko pushes his hand up as the red dragon behind him goes up as well. He dips and the dragon dives down accordingly. The two dragons fly above the bridge as the boys perform the Dancing Dragon. They perform the final move before looking to either side as the dragons hover on either side of the bridge.

The Chief says to Hana. "Judgment time."

The blue dragon stares at Zuko and Aang trembles. Zuko looks at it, with his mouth wide open. He trembles as the two dragons sit, with their legs at the bottom of the bridge. The red dragon breathes fire at the two, then the blue dragon does the same. Zuko and Aang yell and cover their faces as they are engulfed by a multi-colored flame vortex. 

Hana watches in horror as the boys disappear into the dragon's fire. It's minutes before they emerge again and Hana releases a breath she didn't know she was holding.

When the vortex slowly dissipates, the dragons curl their bodies, fly up, circle one time before going back into their caves. Ham Ghao seems annoyed but Hana couldn't feel more pride as she watches them descend the stairs. One of the warriors holding the circle of fire moves his arm in a circle, and extinguishes the flame.

Hana meets the boys halfway when they get close enough. "See, you both did exactly what I thought you would."

"You thought we would be dancing with dragons before getting engulfed in their fire," Aang says.

She shakes her head. "I meant survive."

Zuko catches her attention as he stops in front of her. "Their fire was beautiful. I saw so many colors, colors I've never imagined."

"Like firebending harmony," Aang adds, his previous fear nowhere to be found.

The Chief walks over to them. "Yes. They judged you, and gave you visions of the meaning of firebending."

Zuko trains his eyes on the ground. "I still can't believe there are still living dragons. My Uncle Iroh said he faced the last dragon and killed it."

Aang looks at Zuko. "So, your uncle lied."

"Actually-" the Chief says, smiling "-it wasn't a total lie. Iroh was the last outsider to face the masters. They deemed him worthy and passed the secret onto him as well."

Zuko's eyes widen. "He must have lied to protect them, so no one else would hunt them."

"All this time, I thought firebending was destruction," Aang speaks, mostly to himself. "Since I hurt Katara, I've been too afraid and hesitant. But now I know what it really is... it's energy, and life."

Zuko's heart-breakingly beautiful smile returns. "Yeah. It's like the sun." His hand curls into a fist. "But inside of you. Do you guys realize this?" Hana has to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing.

The Chief is also fighting off a smile. "Well, our civilization is called the Sun Warriors... so yeah."

"That's why my firebending was so weak before. Because for so many years, hunting you-" Zuko turns towards Aang "-was my drive... it was my purpose. So when I joined you, I lost sight of my inner fire. But now, I have a new drive. I have to help you defeat my father and restore balance to the world." His voice becomes more confident with each word.

Zuko firebends a rather large sized flame in the palm of both hands. Aang follows his example and bends an equally large flame. Hana finds an easy smile work its way onto her face as she watches Aang's face as he finally conquers his fears.

The Chief stands next to Hana. "You have some good friends, Keeper. They will become trusted allies when you take your place as Fire Lord."

Hana feels the same lump in her throat as when he brought the topic up last time. She swallows it. "You mean, when he becomes Fire Lord," Hana says, her eyes not leaving Zuko.

"You cannot be serious," the Chief says. "It is told that the Keeper of the Dragon's Scale is to become the Fire Lord for the next generation. You are chosen by the Sun Gods."

Hana shakes her head. "It's told that I am to make the decisions of the people of the Fire Nation, and I chose him to lead them."

The Chief is silent for a while, studying Hana as she continues to watch Zuko and Aang. "You've thought about this for a while, Keeper. You trust him?"

"With my life," she answers. "Along with the people of the Fire Nation."

The Chief nods, taking in the information before walking back to the boys. "Now that you have learned the secrets, and you know about our tribe's existence." The Chief's face suddenly turns deathly serious. "We have no choice but to imprison you here forever." The boys flinch but the Chief smiles. "Just kidding. But seriously don't tell anyone!"

* * *

By the time the three get back to the campsite, the rest of them are sitting around the fire, eating dinner. Zuko and Aang jump off Appa but when Juno lands and Hana doesn't get up off the dragon, the prince goes to check on her and that's when he finds her asleep on the back of the mythical beast.

"Must be tiring getting worshiped all day," he mumbles, picking her up and cradling her to his chest. He laid her down on her bed roll and when he got back to the others, Aang grabbed him by the arm.

"You guys have to watch this." Aang gets into the first position of the Dancing Dragon, and Zuko reluctantly follows him. "With this technique the dragons showed us, Zuko and I will be unstoppable." The two show their friends each step of the technique, pausing at the end for applause.

"Yeah, that's a great dance you two learned there," Sokka says.

Zuko crosses his arms. "It's not a dance. It's a firebending form." He takes a seat next to the fire, just in a way that he can watch the rise and fall of Hana's chest as she sleeps. Toph passes the prince a bowl of soup and fills another for herself.

"We'll just tap-dance-" Sokka moves his fingers in a dancing motion "-our way to victory over the Fire Lord."

Zuko drops his bowl to the ground. "It's a sacred form that happens to be thousands of years old!"

Katara looks over. "Oh yeah? What's your little form called?"

I look to the side, a blush covering his cheeks. "The Dancing Dragon." Despite his best intentions, the laughing of the people around him gets Zuko to smile a little too.


	27. The Boiling Rock - 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He finds her in the exact place he thought she'd be, the old forest clearing he stayed at before he was accepted in the group. Juno encircles her, making it impossible for the prince to get to her.
> 
> "Want to watch the sunrise with me?" He asks, getting only one raised eyebrow at his presence. Juno lifts her head just enough at the sound of his voice for Zuko to sneak inside the circle. He sits down next to Hana, taking one of her hands in his.

  
  


> “Mine is the blood of the dragon.”
> 
> \- George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings

  
  


Zuko wakes up before the sun rises and his first thought is Hana. He hasn't really spoken to her since the day she found him again and although she forgave him, he wasn't sure if she took him back. And he'd really like to clear up their situation. He raises himself onto his elbows, rubbing his eyes before looking around the campsite. He takes count of each of the members at the campsite - Appa, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph - but he can't find Hana anywhere.

He walks over to the Avatar and his friends. "Where's Hana? It's too early for her to be training."

"You don't know that. There were several days that she was awake way before any of us," Aang explains. For some reason, a string of pain shoots through the prince's chest. She was never like that when they were in Ba Sing Sae. In fact, there were some days that Zuko had to drag her out of bed. He's trying to figure out what happened before realizing that, oh yeah, he's what happened. "Hana took Juno early this morning and they haven't come back," Aang says.

Sokka kicks his legs out in front of him. "We saw Juno flying for a bit but Hana wasn't on her."

"You're joking right?" Zuko asks. A thread of panic runs through him.

"She could still be upset about how the invasion went," Katara says as she sits up. "She was out of it for a bit afterwards but we were able to distract her. Well, until you showed up." She finishes her thought, gesturing towards Zuko. He wants to argue back but deep down he knows she's right. His appearance after all this time may have turned her world upside down. Not to mention the dragon, the discovery of her Keeper identity and her new status that comes with it. 

"Why would she be upset?" Sokka asks. "We did accomplish a bit."

"Sokka, you got her father involved," Katara says. "And then she had to leave him behind to get imprisoned along with our dad and everyone else who we left behind."

"Right," Sokka says through gritted teeth. "I forgot about that."

"That doesn't surprise me," Katara rolls her eyes.

"She has every right to be upset with us," Toph said. "You didn't even ask if she wanted to see her dad again, even after she told us that they're fugitives in the Earth Kingdom. Being at the battle was the most dangerous place he could have been at."

They all look at each other and stop talking.

"I think I know where she might have gone. But I would hope she'd be a lot smarter than me," Zuko says, lifting off of the floor and walking into the forest. He finds her in the exact place he thought she'd be, the old forest clearing he stayed at before he was accepted in the group. Juno encircles her, making it impossible for the prince to get to her.

"Want to watch the sunrise with me?" He asks, getting only one raised eyebrow at his presence. Juno lifts her head just enough at the sound of his voice for Zuko to sneak inside the circle. He sits down next to Hana, taking one of her hands in his.

She sighs, not saying anything to him but not pushing him away either. Zuko brings her hand up to his mouth and puts a kiss on a specific area where the scarring is the worst. She produces a sad smile that makes Zuko want to throw his arms around her. Zuko moves around to reach his free hand into a pocket on his robe. He looks down to see her watching and a faint blush appears on his face. "I have something for you." He pulls out a small square of paper and holds it out to her. She hesitantly reaches out to it, lifting her head off of her knees when she flips it around.

She gasps, taking in the family picture she thought she'd never see again. "My photo." She knew he had to have gone into the room they shared frequently and gone through her stuff and she knew she should be angry. But she's just not. "You carried it with you through the Fire Nation," she whispers as she buries her face into his neck.

The prince nods. "When I was leaving, I came across it. I told myself to leave it, but I couldn't." He pauses, lost in thought. "I also found your gloves but they didn't make it out."

She lifts up her head to look at him. He's drowning in her eyes, swimming in gold and multicolored flecks that seem to dance in her iris. "What happened to my gloves?" She asks.

He gives her a sheepish smile before reaching back and pulling the string of ribbon out of his hair. He holds it out to her and drops the cloth in her hands. Hana stares at it for a moment, putting the pieces together before breaking out into a voluminous laughter that not only catches him off guard, but also the dragon. She brings her face over to them, sniffing the cloth in her keeper's hand.

"You ripped up the gloves you gave to me into a single piece of ribbon to tie your hair back," she laughs.

Zuko shrugs. "It was more like an act of moral significance for me than anything. But I promise when we get back I'll get you a new pair."

Laughter keeps coming from Hana and the prince just can't seem to take his eyes off her. "Alright, now that you're feeling a bit better, want to tell me about why you were all the way up here this early in the morning?" Zuko asks her, weaving his fingers through hers once more.

"I think my dad might be at Boiling Rock," Hana says, pointedly not looking at Zuko anymore.

All the breath leaves Zuko's lungs when the words come out of her mouth, but before he can say anything, he hears footsteps getting closer to them from the forest. Zuko jumps up, putting his body in between the stranger and Hana, he also realizes that he'll be of little use as Juno bares her teeth and growls low, but she relaxes when he sees it's just Sokka.

"Sokka, what are you-"

"What is Boiling Rock?" He asks, not bothering to let Zuko finish his sentence.

Zuko looks at Hana, who stands up beside him. She takes his hand in hers. "Boiling Rock is a prison on a volcanic island between here and the Fire Nation. The prison is built right into the volcano, and the worst criminals are put there. No one has ever escaped. One side is a sheer rock face; on the other is a lake that boils from the heat underneath it."

"Do you think my dad would be there too?" Sokka asks, chewing his lower lip.

The prince looks back to Hana but she has her head trained down. "I'm not sure Sokka," Zuko takes over. "It's mostly people of the Fire Nation there, but it wouldn't surprise me if they were keeping war prisoners there as well."

"How far away did you say it was?" Sokka takes another step closer to them.

"Look, don't do anything stupid," Zuko warns him.

"I won't," Sokka promises, but Zuko refuses to give him any more information.

Zuko looks at the boy, suspicion setting in. "It's in the middle of a volcano between here and the Fire Nation. You guys actually flew right past it on your way here."

"Thanks Zuko." Sokka yawns and turns to walk back to the camp. "Just knowing makes me feel better."

* * *

The day goes by smoothly, between training and meals Zuko keeps checking for Sokka, making sure he hasn't snuck off yet to do something seriously stupid. That night Zuko takes his spot next to Hana and keeps himself up by watching her sleep, creepy he knows but it did the trick, and after a while he hears another awake person. Thinking everyone else is fast asleep, Sokka grabs his bag and tip-toes over his friends before reaching Appa. He shushes the bison as he climbs up his side, but he wasn't expecting to hear the voice of Prince Zuko.

"Not up to anything, huh?" Zuko says. Sokka screams and falls off Appa.

"Fine, you caught me. I'm gonna go rescue my dad. Are you happy?" Sokka confesses.

"I'm never happy," Zuko says. "Look, you don't ha-"

Sokka interrupts the prince. "Yes, I do have to do this. The invasion plan was my idea. It was my decision to stay when things were going wrong." Sokka walks towards the bison again. "It's my fault my dad  _ and  _ Hana's dad are there. It's my mistake and it's my job to fix it. I have to regain my honor. You can't stop me guys."

"You need to regain your honor? Believe me, I get it. I'm going with you," Zuko replies with resolve.

Sokka shakes his head and climbs up near the saddle. "No. I have to do this alone."

"How are you going to get there? On Appa?" Zuko barks. "Last time I checked, prisons don't have bison daycares." Sokka touches the saddle before he sighs and looks at Zuko.

"Well then, how do you think we get there?"

Zuko smiles. "I may have flown here on a war balloon."

Sokka laughs, slapping his hand over his mouth. He just can't believe the thought of Zuko following them in a Fire Nation war balloon and then just leaving it in the forest for anyone to find and report. Not very princely, if you ask him. Sokka and Zuko silently moved through the temple all the way to the forest.

"Did you really think you're going to leave without me?" A voice follows from behind them. Hana stands right behind the two boys, a hand on her hip and clearly not happy with either of them. "I can't believe either of you."

"Hana," Zuko says, rushing to her side and grabbing her hands. "You can't, it's too dangerous."

"You don't tell me what is and isn't dangerous Zuko," Hana snaps. "My father's in Boiling Rock too, you know?"

Zuko sighs, knowing he was not going to win this fight. He just moves out of Hana's way and lets her enter the balloon.

* * *

"Pretty clouds," Sokka says, keeping his gaze on the sky above them as the war balloon sails towards the volcano prison. Hana sits on the floor, her arms wrapped around her knees. The prince keeps glancing at her but can't find an excuse to join her. She still hasn't said a word to either of them after she effectively chewed them out in the forest.

"Yeah... fluffy," the prince says.

The two look at each other for only a moment before turning away. Sokka begins whistling to himself to fill the gaps of awkward silence between the three of them. Zuko pulls open the control panel of the war balloon to make sure they still had enough gas to get them to where they needed to be.

"You know, a friend of mine designed these war balloons," Sokka says.

"No kidding," Zuko answers, finding a small smile appear on his face.

"Yep! A balloon... but for war." And as soon as it comes, his smile vanishes.

"There's one thing my dad's good at - war."

"Yeah, it seems to run in the family."

"Hey," Hana finally speaks up, getting the attention of the two boys in front of her. The fire in her eyes is still burning and the boys hold their breath, not trying to push the angry firebender over the edge. "Not everyone in his family is like that."

Zuko's heart lifts just a little in his chest.

"I know. I know, Zuko's changed-"

"That's not what I mean," Hana says but lets the sentence fade out, looking to Zuko to finish her thought.

"She means, my uncle. He was more of a father to me... and I really let him down," Zuko says, dropping his head into his hands. When he looks up, he sees Hana reaching out a hand for him to take and he does instantly. The feeling of her heated skin against his calms him down as soon as he feels it.

"I think your uncle would be proud of you. Leaving your home to come help us. That's hard," Sokka says. Seeing the way Hana holds Zuko's hand, rubbing tiny circles into his skin makes his heart open just a little more to the Prince of the Fire Nation. He remembers how she used to act to them in the beginning, cold, hostile, not the friendliest towards them. Even now she scares the crap out of the nonbender at times and the dragon and status does nothing to wash those fears away. But here she is, with the most vulnerability Sokka's ever seen her on her face as she looks at him and he can't help but think that Zuko has to be a little special for that to be the case.

"It wasn't that hard," Zuko says.

"Really?" Sokka asks. "You didn't leave anyone you care about behind?"

"Not in the Fire Nation," Zuko says and drops to the floor next to Hana and rests his head on top of hers. "Everyone I care about I left behind in Ba Sing Sae. And I'm hoping to fix everything as soon as I can."

More of Sokka's heart breaks open as he watches Hana turn her head and places a gentle kiss where she can reach, and that just just happens to be the side of his neck.

"My first girlfriend turned into the moon," Sokka says.

Zuko can't help but laugh a little at the statement. "That's rough, buddy."

The three ride silently in the gondola after everyone has taken their positions. Hana has her hands bound behind her backs to make her disguise as believable as it can be, despite Zuko's pleas. Sokka stands behind the firebender, while Zuko gives her hand one last squeeze before meeting the guards.

"We weren't expecting new prisoners," remarks one of the two guards waiting as they step onto the landing platform.

"This one was captured just last night," Zuko informs him, handing over the orders that he expertly forged. He's pitching his voice a little lower than usual, and Sokka can't help but wonder if that was intentional disguise or just a sign of his discomfort.

"We didn't think a hawk would arrive before we did," Sokka adds. "We traveled most of the night, and our ship dropped us off at dawn."

"Impressive," the first guard comments while reading the crimes attributed to the girl. In addition to information about the new prisoner, the papers indicated that Sokka and Zuko would be supplementing the prison staff. Since they are happy to have extra bodies to share shift duty with, the guards don't ask too many questions

The first guard grunts noncommittally and leads them to the prison yard, where it's apparently an exercise period. A fight is brewing, so the whole group waits on the outskirts to see what would happen. A pair of large, well-muscled men run at one another and begin wrestling and punching. Finally, one of them throws the other, and the second comes back with a fireblast.

"No firebending!" Another guard barks, his shoulder emblems mark him as the captain of the guards. "Put them both in the cooler!"

Zuko's actually glad to hear that firebending isn't allowed. In that moment, he wishes he begged a little harder to get Hana to trade her prisoners position for his guard. This is clearly a rough place, and the guards haven't made any effort to stop the fight until rules are broken.

As though she heard his thoughts, Hana sends a brief, reassuring smile over her shoulder. He doesn't know how she does things like that, especially when she can't even see his face. Sokka and Zuko hand Hana over to other guards to escort to their cells. They can't volunteer to do this, of course, as it would look suspicious. Besides, Sokka and Zuko are to be expected to report to the captain to receive their assignments. As the prisoners are herded back inside, they did just that. Once he had a schedule, Sokka can figure out what to do next. 

* * *

Hana's bonds are removed just before she's shoved unceremoniously into her room. She makes a thorough investigation of it, which doesn't take long. Four stone walls, with a door and a barred window. A hard bench, bolted to the wall, that must also serve as a bed. A chamber pot in the corner. A slot at the bottom of the door that will probably be used to deliver her meals.

If this room is any indication, it appears that all of the prisoners have private cells. Rather inefficient, perhaps, but it serves their purposes. She can practice different fighting stances without anyone getting suspicious if she sneaks some firebending movements in there, and if Zuko wants to talk to her, they wouldn't have to worry about being overheard.

In all honesty, Hana isn't entirely certain what she is supposed to do between now and the escape. She supposed she could help try to find her and Sokka's dad, but Sokka and Zuko are free to move about the prison, which makes them much more likely to succeed.

Hana amuses herself for the next hour or so by running through sequences of firebending forms. However, she also tries to take notice of how often guards walk past and how many of them. It's difficult to determine the passage of time, but she wants a general idea in case they would need that information when they break out. Eventually, one of the guards open the door and comes in, closing it behind him. Hana backs up against the cot warily.

"Hana, it's me," Sokka whispers, raising his visor. "I'm so glad I found you. This place is bigger than it looks from the outside."

"Where's Zuko? Have you found our parents yet?" Hana asks him.

"I don't know, we split up as soon as we got here. And not yet. I'm splitting the search with Zuko, but it's still a big job," he sighs. "Especially since we're also trying to do our guard duties. Right now, we can wander around because we're new, but that excuse will only work for a day or so. We'll be meeting in a few hours to compare notes."

"All right," Hana nods. "Well, you'd better go. We can't look like we know each other." 

"Alright but listen there's another girl here who's a friend of mine." Sokka pulls out a picture of the girl which she memorizes. "Her name is Suki. Find her, tell her you know me and she'll help." Then Sokka lowers his visor, checks the hallway, and exits.

A couple of hours later, she's released for another exercise period in the yard. She jostles other prisoners briefly on the way there but otherwise gives no sign of recognition. Hana has a harder time maintaining her composure, however, when she spots the familiar face while scanning the crowd.

The girl Hana recognizes as Suki sitting on a stone, wearing loose rags that may once have been red but are now faded to pink. A rope serves as a belt around her waist, and scuffed sandals are on her feet. Her arms are folded across her chest, and she's projecting an overall attitude of boredom. Hana had heard of this girl from the other people in the group, and is certain that the female warrior would be ready to instantly spring into action if anything threatened her. Therefore, Hana did her best not to seem threatening. She sidles casually over to the other girl, hoping that she would be within earshot when the firebender speaks.

"Suki," she says softly, and as expected, Suki twists her head around to see who had addressed her by name.

"Who are you?" She asks.

"My name is Hana. I'm one of Sokka's friend."

"You know Sokka!" She exclaims, standing up, but Hana shakes her head faintly and looks straight ahead. Although Hana wants to talk with her, they can't reveal that they already know each other. Picking up the cue, Suki backs away warily as though expecting a threat.

"I'm new here, so it might be expected I'd try to make friends or alliances," Hana explains. "Act like you would if any other new girl showed up."

"What are you doing here?" Suki asks quietly, taking up a ready stance. Hana instead tries to give mollifying body language while they speak, finally looking at Suki directly.

"Long story, but I'm looking for my father. I don't suppose you'd know if he was here?"

"I don't know your dad."

"Right." Hana's disappointed, but she briefly explains the invasion and how all but a handful of them had been captured. "So Sokka and Zuko snuck me in as a prisoner to see if we could break our parents out, along with anyone else we know who might be here." When she feels they had talked long enough to establish a tentative rapport, Hana relaxes her posture, and Suki again follows her lead. She describes her father's appearance.

"I haven't seen anyone fitting that description," Suki tells her apologetically. "Not that I've necessarily noticed everyone here."

"That's okay," Hana says. "It was kind of a long shot, anyway. At least it's not a total waste of time and effort, now that you're here. We can break you out."

"That would be appreciated," Suki acknowledges, with a faint smile. "Sokka's here, too?" Suki sounds excited.

"He's posing as a guard." They speak for a few more minutes before two guards walk up to them and grab Hana by the arms.

"Hey," she yells. "What are you doing?"

"You're coming with us, Keeper of the Dragon's Mark," one of the guards says, sending shivers down her spine. Hana just stares at Suki the entire time as the two guards drag her away into the prison.

* * *

They tie Hana's hands behind her back as she sits in an uncomfortable chair. She looks up at the guards and the warden as they just stand over her.

"Where is the banished prince?" The warden asks as he leans against the chair.

Hana laughs. "Why would Prince Zuko be here? Can you name me a reason that His Royal Highness would be in Boiling Rock if he didn't need to be."

The Warden stands straighter, the smile crossing his face dripping in malice. "I have good knowledge that Prince Zuko abandoned his post and threatened his father, Fire Lord Ozai, before running off with you and your little rag-tag group." He leans over, getting in her face. "If the Keeper of the Dragon's Mark just shows up in my prison, I can only assume that he isn't that far behind. So I ask you again, where is the prince?"

"Why would I tell you?" She hisses, pulling as far away from him as she possibly can.

"I'm not going to ask you again," he says. "Where are the others hiding?"

"Bite me. I'm not going to give up their location just so I can save my own hide," she smirks.

"Bring them in!" He yells at the guards as they open the door, letting the light in. "Well if you aren't going to answer me, maybe you might answer to them."

Hana watches as Mai walks into the room, eyes boring into her soul. At this point, Azula has dropped a building on her, made her brother turn her back on her and taunt her to her face. And that's not including the massive amount of fire that she's thrown at her that has led to one burn injury. Comparing Mai to her is like comparing a cat to a lion. That's when she can't help but laugh.

"You think they can get me to answer?" She laughs, looking into the princess's eyes and refusing to lose the unspoken contest. "She's already given me everything I need since I've already taken her boyfriend."

The warden looks at Hana as she maneuvers her hand to burn right through the material holding her in place.

"Keeper of the Dragon's Scale, remember? You can't hold me for long," she laughs.

The guards who dragged her into the room grab her again at the flick of the warden's wrist. "Take her to the coolers," Azula says before watching Hana be dragged once more.

* * *

Sokka's standing on a parapet surrounding the prison yard. Another guard comes up to join him. Although he knows who he expects to meet him, Sokka waits warily.

"Hakoda doesn't seem to be here," Zuko reports, raising his visor. Sokka lifts his visor, too. "Neither is Hana's dad."

"That's what I came up with, too," Sokka admits.

"So what do we do now?"

Sokka doesn't answer immediately. His attention is drawn by Hana, who scans the courtyard before her eyes focus on Suki. Then she's instantly walking towards her. She's clearly being casual about it, but she's talking to Suki, maybe getting some more information about the prison. Who knows how long she's been here anyways? 

"Hana found Suki. Good," he breaths. When he first saw her, it's just about all he could do not to try and rush to her immediately. Of course, the 20-foot drop below him helped considerably. Unfortunately, it's not very common for guards to be casually chatting with the prisoners but Hana, Hana could do it. "We can help her escape, at least."

"Who's Suki?" Zuko asks.

"My...well, I guess she's my girlfriend." Sokka isn't really sure he could use that word for someone he'd shared about a week and two kisses with over the course of eight months, but he can't deny his joy at seeing her again. They watch the two speak for a few minutes before two guards walk up to the two and grab Hana before dragging her back to the prison.

"Great," remarks Zuko sourly. "You grab yours and then we've got to go find mine."


	28. The Boiling Rock - 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm angry that you never wanted me in the first place," Mai continues, turning to face him again. Her eyes are blazing, dangerous. "That you only used me to fill a hole that was ripped open when you left that other girl. I realized it the night you came over to my house, just wanting to casually chat like nothing was wrong. You talked about her like she put the sun in the sky and I just realized... you love her, and there would be no room for me."
> 
> "I didn't use you. I just thought that I could eventually feel the same way about you."
> 
> "Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" She challenges him. Zuko takes a deep breath.
> 
> "No."

  
  


> “Not every winged creature is considered a bird or a bat. Some wings are made of magic."
> 
> ― Raani York, _Dragonbride_

  
  


Zuko looks around the area inside the prison where a group of guards and prisoners are mulling around, searching for Hana or the two guards who took her back here when he saw her and Suki. When he reaches the end of the hall, Sokka and Suki are waiting for him.

"Have you guys heard about where they took Hana?" Zuko asks.

"Not really," Sokka says, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. "I overheard a few guards talking about the Keeper of the Dragon's Scale was at the prison, but there's no way anywhere here other than us that knows about her."

"Is it true? Is that girl really a Keeper?" Suki asks, her eyes bright. "I thought they were all dead."

A shiver goes down Zuko's spine. "She will be soon if we don't find her." If the guards, or worse the warden, find out that Hana's the keeper then it'll make the whole mission much harder. Not to mention the unnecessary danger put onto her life. "Sokka's right, no one else knows about her unless-" Zuko stops mid sentence.

"Unless what?" Sokka asks.

"Unless someone from the invasion saw her and Juno and put the pieces together." Zuko is barely able to finish his sentence when another guard comes up to them, immediately making the other two scatter and grabbing Zuko by the arm.

"The warden would like to see you," he says before dragging the prince down the same hall they took Hana. Sokka and Suki watch the whole thing happen, unable to do a thing.

* * *

Zuko knows he's in trouble when he's brought to a cell rather than an office or one of the staff areas. Furthermore, he's dragged in and stripped of his armor, convincing him that his cover is blown. The guards take the armor with them, leaving Zuko in just his somewhat worse-for-wear traveling clothes and locking the door on their way out. Two other guards stand outside, on either side of the door. Someone must think he's very dangerous.

At first, Zuko paces nervously, but he eventually tires of that and sits in the lone chair the room contained. This piece of furniture makes it look more like an interrogation chamber than a common cell. That thought is hardly comforting.

Some time later, an imposing man of middle age enters the room with another pair of guards and glares down at him. The stranger is wearing elaborate headgear and a dour expression on a face that reminds Zuko irresistibly of a hog-monkey.

"Warden?" Zuko guesses, scrambling to his feet and giving a proper bow. He can't think of any course other than to play his role until it becomes abundantly clear that it's no use.

"It has come to my attention that you have been on the wrong side of the bars here," the man says in a low, gravelly voice. He sounds disinterested, but there is a dangerous undercurrent in his tone that makes the hairs on the back of Zuko's neck stand on end.

"Why?" Zuko ventures. "What have I done?" The warden narrows his eyes.

"Enough of the charade. I know who you are, Prince Zuko." The title comes out sneering, an insult, and Zuko feels his heart sink.

"How?" he chokes out, sinking back down into a sitting position. The warden's face darkens with rage, and he gestures to the guards behind him. They respond quickly, hauling Zuko back to his feet.

"You will not sit in the presence of your betters!" The warden snaps, and Zuko swallows his own anger and pride. He knows he forfeited all advantages of his prior rank when he had chosen his present path. Plus, somewhere in this dungeon this man is holding Hana somewhere and if he isn't going to swallow his pride for him, then he would do it for her. He bows his head in submission and makes no answer.

"You have asked an impertinent question, but I will answer it anyway," declares the warden haughtily. "I am Mai's uncle. Of course I would know the man who broke her heart."

Zuko jerks his head up in shock, feeling his mouth drop open. He can't believe his rotten luck. Would it be too much for him to ask for just a day or two with his sister's fortune instead? It's only with a very great effort that he restrains his tongue, waiting to be asked to speak. He knows the proper protocols, and he's going to follow them, no matter what it cost him.

"Have you any defense for yourself?" The warden intones.

"I never meant to hurt her, but I did what I had to," Zuko mumbles weakly. "Please tell her."

"You'll be able to explain it to her yourself, soon enough," the warden assures him with a mirthless smile. "You will do as I say, or your dragon friend will face your punishment for you." With that, the warden gestures to the guards again. One of them opens the door, and both follow him out.

Zuko's knees buckle, and he slumps into the chair again, mind racing. If Mai has been informed of his whereabouts, then Azula and Ty Lee would surely know soon, as well as the Fire Lord. Ty Lee is harmless enough, but he doesn't know, at the moment, which of the other three he would rather face. He definitely isn't looking forward to the entourage that would likely descend upon him tomorrow. Oddly, though, the thought uppermost in his mind was not for himself. He's concerned about the danger he'd unwittingly brought upon Hana, wherever she is, and hoping she can find a way to escape in spite of him. At any rate, he decides that he'd better try to get some rest while he had the chance. Seeing no other clear option, he curls up against the wall on the hard floor and pillows his head on his arm. He's endured worse resting-places in the last six months.

"A man needs his sleep," he hears his uncle's voice saying as he closes his eyes.

* * *

The cooler's freezing winds cut into Hana's skin like shards of ice. She never did like the cold, but this is more than she has ever been able to endure before. And she doesn't think she can for much longer. She hears the door open and she looks up to see Sokka in his guard uniform. She has never been happier to see him.

"You learn your lesson?" He asks.

"More than you will ever know," she answers.

He goes to grab Hana when they hear people coming down the hall. She pulls him in and shuts the door, listening to the guards as they walk past and stop a few cells down.

"Let me go! You don't need to have a hold on me every time you move me," a voice yells.

Hana looks over at Sokka and he leans over to whisper three words that send her into an instant rage. "They have Zuko." Hana stomps out of the cooler, leaving Sokka behind, and looks around as she walks down the hall into the room where the warden sat, seeming as if he were waiting for her.

"My Mai is on her way to see Prince Zuko," the warden says.

"What?" She asks.

"Don't act shocked," he says. "You were never supposed to be the one he chose."

Hana knows men like this. Only saying words like this to get a reaction out of her and she's not going to let what happened to her in the Fire Nation palace happen again. This time she was going to keep her composure, for her and Zuko. "What do you want from me?"

"I'm giving you a chance in an actual cell, can I trust you?" He asks.

"Not like I can do anything without being punished," she says. "So what do you want?"

He nods, and motions for the guards to take her away. They grab Hana again and she struggles against them. Then the warden meanders up to her, leans down a hair's breadth away from her ear and whispers. "I want your head on a stake." Hana is dragged out of the warden's room to see one guard escorting Zuko to a cell and she gasps, a very purposefully loud gasp. He looks up and sees her and starts to struggle against his guard.

"Hana!" He yells.

"Zuko," she yells back with a sad smile on her lips as the group of guards grab her and shove her into a cell.

* * *

Zuko paces back and forth in his new cell. How could he let this happen? How could he let Hana get caught up in it? Now she isn't a pretend prisoner, she's an actual prisoner, just like he was.

"I want to speak to the prisoner. Alone." Zuko hears a familiar voice from outside his cell. His whole body freezes.

"But– but the warden," stammers one of them.

"Would want you to do as I ask," Mai finishes for him. "I'm sure you don't want me to tell him you were uncooperative?" The two men exchange glances.

"Of course, miss," says the second, nodding shortly.

"Don't worry about me," Mai adds as the guards retreated, shutting the door behind them. "He won't hurt me." She turns to gaze piercingly at Zuko again. "At least, no more than he already has." Her tone is icy, and Zuko winces.

"I'm sorry, Mai," he apologizes quickly.

"So you left," she spits. "And you couldn't even bother to tell me in person that you were leaving."

"I –" Zuko just barely keeps himself from apologizing again when he pictures Hana in another cell. Alone. Possibly living the last few minutes of her life. Then he pictures Chunharu and Yu, and her dad. "I had to leave. I just couldn't live the lie anymore." She gives him a pitying look.

"You idiot. I'm not upset that you left."

"You're not?" That definitely throws him.

"Of course not. I could see that coming. You didn't even want me around anymore." Mai turns away from him. "I saw it from the ship home. I tried to distract you, hoping that maybe I was wrong. Maybe I'd be enough to change your mind." Zuko wants to tell her that she has been enough, but they both know she hasn't been. Their present circumstances proved that.

"I really thought I was going home to stay," he says instead. "Believe me, I never would have... started this if I'd thought I wouldn't be around."

"I'm angry that you never wanted me in the first place," Mai continues, turning to face him again. Her eyes are blazing, dangerous. "That you only used me to fill a hole that was ripped open when you left that other girl. I realized it the night you came over to my house, just wanting to casually chat like nothing was wrong. You talked about her like she put the sun in the sky and I just realized... you love her, and there would be no room for me."

"I didn't use you. I just thought that I could eventually feel the same way about you."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" She challenges him. Zuko takes a deep breath.

"No." Because deep down he knows that she's right. Mai could have never filled the Hana-shaped hole in his heart when he left.

"Why did you drag me around when you never wanted me to begin with!" Mei snaps in one of the most passionate displays Zuko had ever seen from her. "You should have respected me enough to not do that to me!" Zuko shakes his head, and it's his turn to face away from her.

"Tell me, Mai," he says slowly. He fears to hear the answer to his question, but now that they are here, he feels he has to know. "If I told you I was going to help the Avatar, to become an exile again, and if I asked you to come with me, would you have?"

"No," she replies with no hesitation. Zuko presses his lips into thin lines and pivots back toward her.

"That's when I knew we wouldn't work."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Mai was clearly taken aback.

"Helping the Avatar is my destiny and I want, I need, someone by my side who will support me through it," he tries to explain. "And you would have only joined me just to be by me. Not because you think it's the right thing to do or because you also want to help the Avatar."

"You knew it would end this way this whole time."

"I'm sorry."

"Then why–"

"Because I was sad and alone and angry at myself and you were there!" Zuko catches himself shouting and forces himself to calm down. Mai's spoiled childhood is showing, and he shouldn't blame her for that. "You deserve someone who will love you as much as you love them. Not someone who only wants you around to kill the time. Someone to share you life with full-heartedly. Someone to raise a family with."

"A family?" She repeats blankly.

"You might not care about it, but I do," he presses. "My father is the Fire Lord, my sister is his darling princess. They have never cared or loved me like a real family would." _Except for Mom and Uncle_ , he adds internally. At least, he hoped that's true. "But it was nothing you ever cared about. Nothing you ever thought about."

"Out of everyone, why did it have to be that traitor?" She asks then, trying to regain control of the conversation.

"She's not a traitor," he answers quietly.

"How can you say that? She's been a traitor of the Fire Nation for three years, hasn't she? Along with her whole family. And on top of it, she's a Keeper. She'll ruin everything that you've spent your life working towards."

"The enemies of the Fire Lord are not necessarily the enemies of the Fire Nation. Just like her, I'm trying to end the war and bring peace back to the world. Wouldn't that be a good thing for everyone?"

"And the colonists in the Earth Kingdom that live under our rule?" Mai shoots back angrily. "What will happen to them?"

"I don't know," Zuko admits, spreading his hands helplessly. "Some of them have been there for more than a hundred years, and I don't like the thought of forcing them out of their homes, but... they never should have been there in the first place."

"We were just trying to share our prosperity—"

"Stop it, Mai," Zuko cuts her off. "You're smarter than that. You've lived in Omashu. Did the people there seem to appreciate you being there?"

"No..." The first signs of doubt appear on her face.

"I've traveled all over the world chasing the Avatar, and it's the same everywhere. A Fire Nation uniform inspires instant fear and hate. My father and Azula may thrive on that, but it's not how I want to be seen. Do you?"

"That's not the point," Mai avoids his question.

"No, it isn't," Zuko agrees. "The point is, I've finally realized that my family, for three generations, has been betraying the world. Fire Lord Sozin intentionally disrupted the balance by colonizing the Earth Kingdom, killing Avatar Roku, and wiping out the keepers and the airbenders."

"Wait – he killed Avatar Roku?"

"Left him to die." Zuko waves a hand unconcernedly. "It's the same thing."

"I can't believe it," Mai asserts.

"It's even worse than that. They were best friends when they were kids. Oh, and just to put the icing on the cake, Avatar Roku was my mother's grandfather. Do you see the irony? The grandson of the man who betrayed the Avatar married his granddaughter. Why? I don't know, and I don't care. The result is me. I have the power to help restore the balance that my ancestors destroyed."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I want you to understand. I'm not a traitor and neither is Hana. We're just trying to undo the damage that our people have done. I think it'll be better for everyone in the long run."

"You're not a traitor," Mai concedes after a lengthy pause. "You're insane."

"If that's how you want to look at it," he shrugs. He knows that if someone had told him a year ago that he'd be in this position now, he'd have called them crazy, too. "How long before my sister pays me a visit?"

"You're assuming she thinks you're important enough to make a personal appearance," Mai states flatly. However, Zuko isn't fooled. Even if he is now beneath Azula's notice, Hana isn't, so she might come seeking the Keeper. He gazes at Mai levelly until she looks away. "I may have delayed the news to be sent to her a day late."

"Why?" Zuko is honestly confused by this admission, and the expression Mai gives him was indecipherable.

"So I could talk to you without being interrupted," she explains, but there seems to be more to it than that. Mai turns toward the door, finds it locked, and curses under her breath. She pulls a slender blade out of a sleeve and manages to jimmy the lock after a little effort. When she leaves, she leaves the door open just slightly.

* * *

Hana is pacing in her cell, thinking about Zuko in a similarly small cell with his ex-girlfriend. It makes her stomach turn over and over again as her brain fights against her. What if the warden is right? What if the prince is never meant to choose her? What if he turns his back on her once again? She's eventually pulled out of these thoughts when she hears the door open and she sees a single guard come in and shut the door behind him.

"Hana, thank god you're okay," the guard says, going in for a hug.

"Who are you?" She asks, putting her hands up defensively.

"It's me, it's Sokka," he says, lifting up his mask to reveal his blue eyes.

"Oh my god!" She exclaims, running over to him and throwing her arms around his neck. "We've gotta get out of here and find Zuko. He's down this hallway."

"Before we go, you've got to put this one," Sokka says, handing Hana a guard's uniform. She takes it out of his hand and changes out of her prisoner's garb when Sokka leaves her alone. She knocks twice on the inside of her jail cell and when Sokka opens it up, she takes in the direction where she saw the guards taking Zuko.

From an open jail cell Hana hears Zuko's voice and speeds up her pace to a sprint. She grabs the door frame and pulls herself towards the opening, taking in a sight that makes her stomach drop. Mai is walking out of his cell, Zuko behind her only mere inches and burning red. All they do is look at her until she lifts up visor, letting her yellow eyes shine at the Fire Prince.

"Hana," Zuko breaths and takes long steps towards her, past Mai, and wraps his arms around her. He never wants to let go. Sokka finally catches up to them, out of breath and sweating.

"We've gotta get out of here now," he pants.

Zuko takes one last look at Mei before turning around and exiting her sight. She turns her attention to Hana, who seems to be looking at Zuko down the hall. Before she goes after the two boys, she turns to Mai. "Thank you."

Sokka has Zuko handcuffed once again when she catches up with them. She passes a group of guards whispering to each other, so she makes her way over and eavesdrops on them.

"You didn't hear? A message came with the ship that brought the warden's niece. We're getting a batch of new prisoners in the morning. After hearing the news, Hana runs to Sokka and whispers the last sentence in his ear. His face hardens when he looks at her. "Our parents could be on that ship," she adds.

"I'll be at the gondola waiting for them," Sokka promises. He waits until the guard is out of sight before he lets his breath out in a sigh of relief. However, his heart is still pounding quickly in his ears as he considers the ramifications of this news. After a few more agonizing minutes, he hears the sound of rock moving. Checking down the hall both ways, he enters Suki's cell again.

"You took long enough," she complains.

"I'm sorry. It was just breaking our firebending trouble-makers out of their cells. And it looks like we're getting more prisoners," answers Sokka absently. "Our parents might be one of them."

"What about Azula and Ty Lee?"

"Huh?" Sokka snaps back to the present. "They're coming?"

"Well, what did you think? The Fire Nation knows Zuko and Hana's here. It's not that much of a stretch to think they'd try to find Aang here, too, not to mention the rest of us." Sokka wavers, considering his options. At last, he shakes his head and sighs.

"I've put you all in too much danger already," he decides. "The rest of you will need to make your escape tonight. I'll stay until–"

"No way, I'm not leaving here without you," Suki interrupts him, and there's a familiar, stubborn set to her jaw. "Your dad was the whole reason we came here in the first place. We're all going to see this through to the end."

"I can't ask you to do this," Sokka protests.

"And you're not. I'm telling you. Do you really think Hana or Zuko would let you go through this without them?"

"No, they wouldn't."

"Besides, if we break out, security's going to be even tighter, making it almost impossible for you and everyone to escape. And you won't have your benders to help you."

"I know, it's just..." Sokka pauses, trying to find the right words. "Everything's getting so complicated. I don't even know if the nighttime idea will work anymore. I don't think you're going to have time to meet with Hana and Zuko before somebody notices one of you is missing and sounds the alarm."

"We probably won't," Suki agrees. "And if we're going to wait until tomorrow, I think we'll want the attempt to be as early as possible after your dad arrives. Assuming they're even going to be there." She feels compelled to add the doubts. "Okay, so what are our options?"

"I think we'll have to time it for an exercise period. Hopefully, they'll resume those tomorrow. We can't stay on lockdown forever."

"What if Azula shows up before then?"

"We'll have to fight our way out."

"I'm always down for that," Suki comments, pumping her fist.

"You know, we really are trying to avoid that," Sokka reminds her.

"Yeah, but I'm a Kyoshi Warrior," she shoots back. "I'd rather face things head-on than duck and hide."

"We'll keep that as a last resort. Okay, so here's the basic plan."

* * *

_Please be here, please be here_ , Sokka repeats over and over in his head as each new person steps out. Hana's right behind him, gripping onto his shoulders. Her eyes have the same amount of desperateness in them as Sokka's do as she looked for her father.

"Look," she whispers. "There they are."

He can feel her tears wet the back of his shirt as Kaapo is ushered out of the ship. Sokka's just beginning to despair that his father was not among them when the familiar face and figure emerge. Hakoda's Water Tribe clothing has been replaced by a shapeless brown tunic and trousers, but everything else is just the same.

Sokka sighs with relief and looks back at Hana, giving her the signal as they pull down their visor to prevent their parents from recognizing and giving them away. After something of an orientation in the yard for the new prisoners, Sokka and Hana break apart to unobtrusively follow their parents. Once she marks their location, Hana locks one of the other new arrivals away and waits for the traffic to clear before returning. Entering her father's cell, Hana shuts the door behind her. Her father is looking at her distrustfully.

"What do you people want?" Her father asks cautiously. "Haven't we been through enough."

Hana sighs and lifts her visor. "Dad, it's me," she announces.

"Hana!" Kaapo immediately rises to embrace his daughter. "What are you doing here?"

"Breaking you out, actually."

"But – you must have been here before I was."

"Long story," Hana waves a hand, knowing that she'd have to make this quick. "Short version is, Sokka's here looking for his dad, we ran into an old friend of his, Suki, and we're going to break her out and Zuko is here, too."

"Wait – Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation?" Her father interrupted incredulously.

"Yeah, he's with us now. Had a fight with his father and decided to teach the Avatar firebending. Oh, and he's totally cool with me being the Keeper of the Dragon's Scale and hasn't tried to kill me yet. He came in as a guard, too, but he got found out."

"O- okay," her father says, still trying to get his mind wrapped around what she said. Hana swiftly outlines their basic plan. "I need to find Sokka and Zuko but I'll be back to get you out," she concludes. Kaapo pats his daughter on the head like he did when she was a child. Hana grins, happy to be able to be with her father again. However, she quickly sobers again. "Oh also, there's another problem," she adds. "Zuko's sister, Princess Azula, may show up any time. She definitely will not be on our side. Also I might have been found out for being the Keeper so the alarms will set off any minute when they realize I'm missing so time is of the essence."

She waves at her father one last time before setting off to find her friends, leaving her father in complete and utter shock.

* * *

Suki is actually a little excited as she joins the press of people heading outside. She's finally going to get to use some of the techniques she'd been practicing throughout her incarceration. Although trained as a warrior, it has never been her object to pick a fight. Now, however, that's precisely the point, and the prospect is somewhat exhilarating.

Hana accompanies a man who must have been her father to the yard, and Hana introduces him as Kaapo, her father. The three look around furtively, trying not to be too obvious that they are colluding. They quickly sketch out their plan, with more detail than Sokka has been able to offer them individually.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" Suki asks worriedly. She's been told that Hana's a powerful firebender, but she doesn't know if she's had any other fighting experience.

"I've been in enough fights that I think I can manage," Hana assures her. "And I know a few tricks of my own."

"Okay then. Let's get more to the middle of the crowd," Suki suggests, setting off and letting the other two follow at their leisure. Once there, Suki whirls and begins the charade.

"You pushed me!" She throws a punch at the younger girl. Fortunately, Hana's reflexes are good, and she blocks it with her wrist. They have obviously had no time to rehearse this, so they are playing everything by ear.

"Stand down inmate or it'll be the cooler for you!" Hana snarls back, looking very convincing as she makes a grab for Suki's hair. Suki tosses her head to the side and kicks out with one leg in the same motion. Hana dodges the kick and responds by hooking one of her feet behind Suki's knee. Suki allows that knee to bend, shifting her weight to her other leg as she prepares for another punch. She has to admit that Hana is no slouch at this. The two girls begin to draw attention, and they are shortly being egged on by general whoops and jeers as the spectators chose sides. The next phase comes from Sokka's father Hakoda, and he's right on time.

"Outta my way," his voice demands from off to the side. His job is to make sure the fighting spreads, but Suki can't spare any attention at the moment to check on his methods. The trick about mock-fighting is to make it look serious while not actually hurting each other. Without real practice, that's a lot harder than it sounded.

However, the noise and firebending that begins to rise around them soon gives evidence to the success of Hakoda's efforts. Finally, the guards have to get involved to try and restore order, and Suki meets Hana's eyes. The Fire Nation girl nods slightly, and they stop their sparring as the riot closes in around them. This allows them to surreptitiously withdraw from the chaos. They make their way to the corner where everyone is supposed to meet. Sokka greets Suki with a hug.

"Impressive," he compliments as their parents catch up with them. Hakoda has a split lip but otherwise appeared unharmed. Sokka looks around after greeting his father and makes the observation Suki is also noting. Zuko is standing off to the side a little awkwardly, not making eye contact with Hana's father.

They all start to run towards their escape route when a familiar – too familiar, really – voice rings out over the noise of the courtyard.

"Stop them!" Azula commands shrilly, and Zuko wastes no time in following the others. He pauses for just a moment at the top, seeing Ty Lee leaping over the heads of prisoners and soldiers alike in his direction, while the other two girls slide down the wall using something in their hands to control their descent.

Zuko reaches the base of the ramp, and wavers for only a moment.

"Let's go!" Suki urges, heading out with the parents. Zuko and Hana are tossing fire balls up at potential pursuers, and Sokka draws his sword to guard the others' retreat. He has discarded his helmet somewhere.

Fire blasts are beginning to come at them, and Zuko and Hana take turns to sweep them aside, returning fire of their own. Sokka, meanwhile, is doing a pretty good job blocking the fire with that odd, black sword of his.

Glancing back, Zuko sees his sister and the others have made it to the edge and are vaulting down the slope in pursuit. The guards are obviously holding their fire so as not to accidentally hit the princess. Sokka begins backing onto the path, but looking down, Zuko sees that they have another problem.

"Stop!" Sokka shouts, obviously noticing, as Zuko had, that the barrier between them and the lava is starting to retreat. Zuko hears Hana give a wordless exclamation before another wave of fire shoots at the two guards reeling it back, and Sokka risks turning to draw closer to Zuko.

Their immediate issue was resolved, but this presented certain difficulties. As soon as Hana takes her attention off of the guards and they start to run down the path, they would get right back to reeling the rest of the bridge back to the prison. Zuko looks down at the bubbles and steam around him, trying not to think about what water at that temperature could do to his skin.

Meanwhile, Azula and Ty Lee are setting off across the bridge. Mai stays on the shore, throwing her knives. Hana stands at the end of the bridge, looking ready for a rematch with Azula that he knows they can't win. Sokka is blocking the projectiles to the best of his ability, but he can't keep that up forever. Something has to be done.

"I'm sorry," Zuko murmurs to Hana.

"Wha – ah!" She almost shrieks as he scoops her up and starts running. She weighed only a little more than Aang and required very little effort to carry, but with his hands full, he can't firebend. Of course, it's dangerous to firebend with such a precarious path, but it's also a ranged form of combat no one else seems to have available at the moment.

Zuko spares a glance over his shoulder to gauge the distance between Sokka and the girls. Sokka's making steady progress, but he's slowed by the need to deflect Mai's attacks with his sword.

"Hana, help me melt the metal between Sokka and the rock!" Zuko advises as he sets her down. She looks back, nods, and the metal under Azula and Ty Lee abruptly melted. With the combined heat of their firebending, the melted goo becomes essentially lava, giving them a few more seconds of escape. Unfortunately, Ty Lee is able to launch herself to a point in between Sokka and the rest of the group. Azula leaps backwards to land on the rock beside Mai. However, seeing her quarry about to escape, Azula takes a running start from the small shoreline, punching her fists downward and forcing fire into the rock as she simultaneously pushes off with her feet. She uses the resulting explosions to add to her velocity, propelling herself across the expanse of water to land solidly on the part of the bridge Sokka has just vacated as he moves towards Ty Lee.

"He's going to need some help back there," asserts Zuko, noting that Sokka's flanked.

"On it," Suki responds, moving to attack Ty Lee from behind with a bull rush.

Sokka turns to face Azula, but there's no way he could get close enough to make his sword useful. Meanwhile, Ty Lee is engaged with Suki a few feet in front of Zuko, Suki moving expertly to avoid being struck by Ty Lee's devastating chi blocking attacks. That isn't giving her much time for offense, but she's keeping Ty Lee busy, which is the important thing right now.

Mai is making her way back up the far slope, and Zuko thought he saw the gondola being prepared. From there, both Mai and the prison guards can get clear shots at the escapees. They need to reach the opposite side before the gondola can get into position, but as he judges the insurmountable distance they have to cover, that doesn't look possible.

Even as he ponders, the metal bridge of Zuko widens, allowing him the room he needs to get to his sister. It also gives Ty Lee more space to dodge and use her acrobatic moves, but that can't be helped. Zuko shoots some fire over Sokka's head in an attempt to get the combatants' attention. He suspects that Azula would be only too happy to shift her focus from Sokka to him and Hana. He carefully times his approach for a moment when Ty Lee is airborne, darting under her and reaching Sokka.

"We need backup," Zuko suggests as he shoots fire with both hands.

"Right," Hana agreeds. "I'm going to need you to cover me though. This is going to take a second." Zuko nods but doesn't hear anything after. He places his body right in between Hana and the shore.

Mai stands in the gondola, waiting for it to get into position. She is joined by several firebenders and two archers. They are mostly going to get in her way, but Mai doesn't mind too much. She is almost out of ammunition, anyway.

She squints through the steam, seeing the shapes moving. The bridge provides a sort of target because it's a small swath in the lake from which steam is not rising. Mai raises the wrist on which she wears her small crossbow and its half dozen bolts, letting the sleeve fall back to her elbow. She fires a few bolts into the haze, not really expecting to hit anything. Longbows twanged and firebenders let loose around her.

Then, it happens. The air clears in one area as blue fire meets red, and Mai sees Zuko fighting Azula, his back to the dragon girl who has her eyes closed and her hands in the Fire Nation symbol. He's protecting her, she knows that, and it makes her more infuriated. The intensity of their firebending is somehow dissipating the steam, and Mai has a clear shot at Hana. She can let loose one arrow and the girl would be down forever.

A bright flash of yellow light burns Mai's eyes. She curses and blinks a couple times, disappearing the light from her eyes. When she opens them again, she sees the dragon girl's skin is glowing with yellow and red markings that are painted up and down her body. She raises her wrist, sighting along her crossbow. But, she freezes with her finger on the release. She can't do it. Even after the pain Zuko had caused her because of this girl, she just can't bring herself to hurt her. Because he loves her. And as foolish as she is, she still loved him.

The steam closes back in around him, and the opportunity is gone. Cursing her weakness, Mai let a bolt fly harmlessly into the water.

When the Keeper's dragon shows up less than a minute later, Mai knows they'd lost. She uses nearly all of her weapons shooting at it, anyway. The guards with her give the signal to the ones posted at the end to send the gondola the rest of the way across the lake. They would make an effort to head the group off before they can get clear off the island, but it's a futile attempt. This battle is over.

The red dragon lets out a ferocious roar and the world seems to pause. Even Azula stops fighting her brother to stare at the mythical beast. Hana's father laughs and cries looking at her, clearly settling with the fact that all of the fears he held for his daughter are true.

Hana opens her eyes and looks at her dragon. She lifts her arms in the air and swings them around. "Down here," she yells.

Juno's head turns sharply and dives for Hana, scooping her up by the tail and setting her on her back. She takes off into the air again and Hana finally gets a good view of what's happening on the ground. Zuko is holding his own against Azula, same with Sokka and Suki with Ty Lee.

Hana whistles and Juno dives again, straight for her father. When they get close enough, Hana tells Juno to hover, and Hadoka and Kappo manage to shakily hop onto the dragon, Juno seeming to be fine with others other than Hana climbing on her back. The few seconds it takes to get them secured onto Juno seem like an eternity.

"Hang onto each other. Tightly," Hana advises them.

Suki is able to kick Ty Lee's feet out from under her, watching her collapse on the bridge. She doesn't pursue but moves farther away, recognizing the direction of her escape route. Juno sweeps aside some arrows that are heading her way with her tail and moves on to Suki, who is already making her way towards them. She takes a few running steps and flings herself onto the flying animal so that Hana hardly has to pull her at all. She shimmies closer to the others, and mirrors their position, holding tightly to Hana's father in front of her. Hana nods to her, believing that she knows what the warrior had in mind. They haven't really worked together before, but with luck, they could get the timing right.

"Zuko, get to Sokka!" Hana calls out. "Juno, that way!"

Zuko retreats, shooting fire from his hands non-stop as he goes, but Azula is pursuing him. Hana knows she needs to do something about that. She only has one hand, but she thinks he can manage. She points toward Azula and the dragon under her breathes a skin-melting breath of fire, turning the metal around Azula into instant lava. She jumps off of the melted bridge and back to Mai's side on the shore. Sokka swiftly sheaths his sword.

Juno flies down close to the remaining bridge, turning as she does so. Hana takes hold of Zuko and pulls him in front of her, wrapping her arms around him as soon as he settles on the dragon's back. She presses her face into the crook of his neck. His hands run up her back and into her hair, taking a deep breath of her scent mixed with smoke and sweat.

Juno is now the primary target from the gondola, but she finds it easy to dodge the fire and projectiles, so Hana lets her do that and banks back to Sokka while Hana concentrates on Zuko. Zuko's able to brace himself in front of Hana, and Suki scrambles over Juno to be on the right side to pick up Sokka.

Suki reaches down, takes hold of Sokka, pulling him up. He maneuvers himself onto Juno's back, and Suki follows him. As soon as Hana sees Suki giving her the signal that she had in fact picked Sokka up, she tightens her arms around Zuko and smacks Juno's back.

"You probably shouldn't take an obvious route back to the temple," Zuko advises. "I'm sure they're going to follow us."

"Oh, I don't think so," Hana replies, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear her. "At least, not for a while." Sokka looks confused but goes back to sit beside Suki. Hana keeps Juno flying low for as long as possible, allowing the steam to partially obscure them and veering away from the gondola's path. However, she can't resist showing off her handiwork. 

If the Azula and Mai and the Fire Nation thought that the Avatar's return was terrifying, then the had never seen the Keeper and her need for revenge.

Once they are out of the lake's crater, she climbs and turns just a little towards the dock, trying to make sure everyone can see it. Juno stands up and makes a sweeping gesture down to draw the attention of everyone behind her. They looked, but most of them simply looked confused.

"The airship just looks deflated," Hakoda comments. "Can't they just fill it up again?"

Hana gives all of them a smile filled with deviousness. "Not for long," she remarks. Hana points at the airship and gives another wordless exclamation which makes Juno lift her head up. When she brings it back down, a large fireball shoots out of her mouth and lands on the airship, exploding it into several pieces.

The group of people behind her cheer however, what made it all worthwhile is Zuko's final evaluation. "You know, Hana, sometimes you are absolutely brilliant."

Hana grin broadly as she turns them north. That is all she needed to hear.


	29. The Raids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Don't try to stop us," Katara says, her chin turned up at the girl.
> 
> "I wasn't planning to," Hana explains, which makes Katara relax but Zuko tense. "I just wanted to let you know that this is a stupid idea that will haunt you for the rest of your life." Her words send shivers down both of their spines but as the prince pulls away, Katara steps forward.
> 
> "How would you kn-"
> 
> "Because I've done it."

  
  


> “As the horde of ancient and mythical creatures impossibly descends upon you and dragonfire envelopes the land, you are forced to concede that it’s probably the very coolest way that you could die.”
> 
> \- Daniel Keidl, _Armageddon: Pick Your Plot_

  
  


The group wakes up to a loud boom vibrating the ground and their ears. Hana jumps up immediately, her dragon already circling her - her teeth bared, head low and eyes dilated. Zuko's the next to pop up, subconsciously running to Hana to check on that she's fine. They take nervous glances at each other before breaking apart to gather the others. They run past one of the crumbling windows to see a Fire Nation airship launching another bomb which sails through the air and crashes into a nearby bridge.

Several bombs continue to assault the temple. The ceiling begins to crumble and cave in. Katara is standing directly beneath the falling ceiling. She looks up, alarmed, only to be pushed out of the way by Zuko. "Watch out!"

"What are you doing?" Katara asks, pushing the prince away from her.

"Keeping rocks from crushing you." Zuko responds calmly, eyes rolling in the back of his head.

"Okay, I'm not crushed. You can get off me now!" Katara says and slips out from under Zuko, making her way back to her brother.

"I'll take that as a thank you," Zuko mutters as he rises. A scarred hand comes into his view and he smiles, knowing the person attached to her hand before he even looks up. Hana's face is a calm spot in the midst of the chaos.

But as soon as that calm comes, it vanishes. "Come on! We can get out through here!" Toph yells, pointing at a section of the wall where a hole is bored through that she must have created. Everyone begins entering the passageway. Aang stays behind, trying to get Appa to leave with him by pulling on the bison's reins. Then he spots Zuko and Hana, who's high up on the back of her dragon, both facing the airships.

"What are you doing?" Aang asks them.

"Go ahead! We'll hold them off!" Hana yells.

"I think this is a family visit," Zuko says and they both ran off. Aang, Katara, and Sokka begin pulling on the reins together in an attempt to budge the bison. The doors of the building continue to be destroyed by the attack but the animal refuses to move. Debris continues to fall to the ground as Zuko races toward the doors and leaps over to the other side just as another piece of the door falls and shatters. Hana finds herself in the air, dodging bomb after bomb. They're not like arrows or the other projectiles they've faced before and Hana can't think what would happen to her dragon if one of the large explosives hit her. Another bomb is launched and lands several feet before them where it detonates. Thick gray plumes of smoke rise; after a brief moment, Zuko emerges from the smoke cover, rising in the air on the back of a dragon and holding on tightly to Hana, and ultimately unharmed.

The prince firebends a large blast from his hand. The airship shakes as it receives the blow. Hana flies Juno over to the edge of the temple, hovering in the air for the Fire Nation Prince to jump off, looking at the more airships making their way to the temple. A podium-like device suddenly rises; and standing atop it is Azula. The princess takes in the damage her airships have created, an evil, maniacal grin on her face.

"What are you doing here?" The prince cries out.

"You mean it's not obvious yet? I'm about to celebrate becoming an only child!" Azula yells to the people below.

Azula smirks and kicks a large blast of flame at her brother. Zuko dodges and runs backwards into the temple, but falls. Several blasts are sent his way as the temple begins to fall apart. In the distance, Hana chips away at a few of the airships. One fall, then another, then another. The prince runs toward the airships. As he jumps toward the ship, he sends several more fireballs toward Azula, but fails to hit her and jumps onto the airship. He falls down into the misty floor below.

Hana watches Zuko fall and shouts his name. She wants to go after him, pulling the dragon backwards but a bolt of lightning enters into her peripheral vision, and it's heading right towards her. She grabs hold of Juno tightly before throwing all her body weight to the right. The mystical creature cries out as the lighting grazes against her stomach but it's much better than it could have been, and Hana sighs in relief. She flies the dragon back down to where her friends are still trying to get Appa through the tunnel.

"What's going on?" She shouts as she jumps off Juno to inspect her injury.

"I can't get him to go in there," Aang explains. "Appa hates tunnels!"

Katara is pacing, her teeth taking another bite of her thumbnail with each step. "Aang, there's no way we can fly out of here."

"We'll have to find a way!" The Avatar says.

"We need to split up," Sokka says before turning to the others. In that group are his and Hana's fathers. "Take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship."

Katara and Hana jump, reaching for their respective fathers. "No," Katara cries, holding onto Hakoda. "The Fire Nation can't separare our family again!"

Hakoda leans down to his daughter. "It'll be okay. It's not forever."

The waterbender hesitates before hugging her dad and running back to Aang before she could change her mind. Hana keeps her hold on Kaapo but he pulls her away gently. 

"I will see you again," he says in a low voice, wiping away a tear that snuck out of Hana's eye. "And when I do, this war will be over."

Hana nods, hugs her father tightly like it was the Day of the Black Sun all over again. She runs back to Juno and Appa, not looking back, and by the time Sokka takes Suki and runs with the others. The two groups go their separate ways. The earthbender touches the wall the others went through, closing it up for good.

"I can clear that away and we can fly out through there!" Toph yells, bending some rocks onto the bison to use as rock armor.

Suki takes in the scene before them. Between the fireballs from the airships and the return fire from Juno trying to take those ships down, she can't see a way they get through that alive.

"We'll get through. Let's go," Aang assures.

Appa and Juno fly through to the outside of the temple. The dragon's too fast and too nimble so Azula focuses her attention on bringing the bison down, only the shield absorbs the blasts. Appa escapes just as the shield disintegrates. Behind the princess, a second airship rises, revealing Zuko who survived his fall by getting onto another airship.

Zuko makes the first move. He jumps towards his sister, who sends columns of fire at him, which he responds to with more blasts. The two attack each other several times but they stop when a metal piece from one of the airships Hana destroyed falls between them. The second one is small but it hits Azula on her head.

Azula groans, holding her injury. She turns her eyes up and locks on the flying beast and the girl she despises riding it. She straightens and blasts fire towards her. Hana's eyes catch the blast just as it's flying and she sends a bigger blast, absorbing Azula's and growing as it flies towards Azula. She rolls to escape the attack. Using his sister's distractedness, sends his sisters firepacked punches. She looks over her shoulder towards the prince and she turns on her heel, mimicking her brother's move and launching them both off the airship. Zuko is caught by Katara, but Azula is left falling.

"She's... not gonna make it," Zuko says. Azula uses her firebending to propel herself towards the wall, stopping her fall with her hair pin and saving herself. "Of course she did."

* * *

"Wow, camping... It really seems like old times again, doesn't it?" Aang says.

"If you really want it to feel like old times, I could chase you around a while and try to capture you," Zuko says, jokingly. He smiles and the rest of the group laughs, except for Katara.

Sokka holds up his cup. "To Zuko! Who knew after all those times he tried to snuff us out, today he'd be our hero!"

Everybody except Katara does the same. "Here, here." Aang nudges Zuko with his elbow before Toph slightly punches him. The prince flushes and tears his eyes away from everyone. Everyone but Hana, who's smiling at him with a smile only meant for him.

"I'm touched," Zuko says, smiling back. As soon as it came, it disappeared. "I don't deserve this."

"Yeah, no kidding," Katara says angrily and walks away.

"What's with her?" Sokka asks.

"I wish I knew," Zuko responds. Hana reaches over and holds his hand.

"Don't worry about her. She's just a little harder to win over than the rest," she whispers. "You deserve as much as any of them."

The prince nods and tries to forget about the waterbender, but he can't. He sits there for a moment with the group but doesn't take his eyes off the direction that Katara disappeared into. At one point in the night he got up and headed towards her.

The waxing moon is out, partially obscured by the clouds. Katara sits on a rock and overlooks a rocky cliff, Zuko approaches her from behind. She catches sight of him, immediately growing antagonistic, and rises to walk farther away toward the cliff.

"This isn't fair! Everyone else seems to trust me now! What is it with you?" Zuko asks.

The waterbender turns furiously. "Oh, everyone trusts you now! I was the first person to trust you!" She places her hands over her heart. "Remember, back in Ba Sing Se. And you turned around and betrayed me, betrayed all of us!"

Zuko scoffs. "You sound like Hana," he says under his breath. He looks back to Katara. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

Zuko stands very still on the cliff as she approaches him. "You really want to know? Hmm, maybe you could reconquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King. Or, I know! You could bring my mother back!"

Katara storms away, slightly hitting his left shoulder with hers as she passes Zuko, leaving him disappointed. He stares down the cliff side, the waves crashing against the rocky wall before marching back to camp. He's making his way to Sokka's tent and accidentally runs into Suki.

She startles a little. "Oops, wrong tent!"

"Sorry, do you need to talk to Sokka, too?" Zuko asks.

"Nope, not me!" She says before she turns to walk away but he grabs her by the arm. 

"No, wait." He nods back to the boys tent. "Go see him. I know someone much prettier than Sokka who I'd rather talk to anyways." Suki flushes before walking past the prince.

Zuko finds Hana spread out on the grass, her head resting in her hands and her eyes closed. Zuko traces his finger along her forehead, light as a feather. Her eyes widen in shock but relaxes when she sees the prince, closing her eyes again. "What are you doing here? I thought you ran off somewhere."

The moonlight shines through the trees, making her eyes glitter. Zuko takes a seat next to the girl, burying his fingers in the soft grass beneath him. He heaves a sigh.

"What is it?" Hana asks after a while, cracking open one eye when she no longer felt his fingers on her skin. She looks up at him, sticking out her tongue when all Zuko does is smile.

"Nothing. It's nothing. Aren't I allowed to sit here with you and enjoy the weather without something being wrong?"

Scoffing, Hana rolls her eyes. "You never do something as simple as enjoying the weather _. _ "

Zuko feigns being baffled, leaning back a little farther until his back reaches the grassy floor. Her head is so close to his that her hair tickles his skin when she moves. He keeps his eyes trained on the sky, tracing some of the constellations that she taught him about on their first date. 

"You're mean."

"I'm  _ honest _ ."

"Whatever."

She pulls a face, sitting upright and stretching as she shoots him a pointed look. "What are you thinking about?" When he chuckles, she pinches his cheek and cocks her head. "There's always so much going on in that head of yours. What is it?"

He looked at her, fighting the flush threatening to creep up his cheeks. Sometimes he forgets how beautiful she is until he looks at her again. And sometimes that beauty makes him forget every word in his head.

"It's Katara. She hates me," he started cautiously, fingering the hem of his shirt, trying to find the right words. "And I don't know why, but I do care what she thinks of me."

Hana pinches her face. "She doesn't hate you. She just has a strained past with our people. Trust me, she even kept me at arms length for a long time. We fought, constantly, just horribly bickering. It's not much different than what you guys are doing now."

"I know this may seem out of nowhere and I was going to ask Sokka but he was... busy, but I want you to tell me what happened to their mother."

Hana stills for a moment. "What? Why would you want to know that?"

"She mentioned it before when we were imprisoned together in Ba Sing Se, and again just now when she was yelling at me. I think somehow she's connected her anger at that to her anger at me."

She chews on her lip. "That does make sense." She weighs the pros and cons of telling him without the siblings knowing. "Sokka did tell me his version of things."

She sighs, deciding on her answer. Then she divulges the story. The black snow, the Fire Nation raids, a little boy finding his mother's body. When she finishes they sit in silence for a moment, Zuko sitting with all the information he just took in.

"Wait. Did he tell you any details about the soldiers who raided their village? Like what the lead ship looked like?"

"Yeah, sea ravens," she said, turning her eyes up to the sky. "He said the main ship had flags with sea ravens on them."

When she hadn't heard anything from Zuko, she cast a questioning look at the boy. His eyes are looking in a far away place. She runs her fingers through his hair, bringing his attention back to her. "Hey, none of that. Come on. We got away from your sister today and no one was injured. I think that calls for celebration of some kind."

A mischievous smile crosses the prince's face. One that Hana neither liked or disliked. Grass stains her robes as Zuko wraps his arms around her waist and rolls her on her back, resting over her. "Well I have some ideas."

"Very suave," she says, running a hand over his hair. "Very suave indeed but not enough to get you what you're looking for. You kind of lost that privilege when you left me in Ba Sing Se."

Zuko flinches but finds himself laughing. "Mean. But fair."

Hana smirks and her heart swelling. "I'm just being  _ honest _ ."

It's only a few moments but as he looks at her, a thought forms in her head she never imagined would be there. As they near the hopeful end of the war, the cycle of thought revolves around who would be the Fire Lord. On her own, she'd be no good a ruler, that much is true. But if she ruled by his side... the two of them, together. She pauses, and one lone thought flits across her mind:  _ now would be the perfect time to kiss him. _

As soon as the thought comes, she pushes it away. Now isn't the time. She hasn't even had time to bathe and eat, let alone sort out her feelings for the prince who left her to die only to beg for forgiveness at her feet. She looks, really looks at the fire prince. Hana can still feel the cracks in her heart whenever she looks at him, but she also feels sorrow for everything he's gone through to end up here now helping the enemy of his nation.

Of their nation. 

She fights with these feelings every night since Juno led her to where he was rehearsing a speech to a frog. The feelings between wanting to forgive him entirely, to let herself be wrapped up in him again, and not letting herself be open to him again. Lately, she's started to lean towards the former. Her stomach twists in knots, staring at the moonlight shining over his beautiful face.

"Well," she says finally, standing off the grass. "Got lots of work to do tomorrow. I guess I'm better..." she trails off, heartbeat speeding up. He grabs her wrist, and his eyes are looking up right into hers.

"Don't leave," he whispers. "Please."

"Zuko," Hana swallows and blinks. "I-"

He rolls out the sleeping bag he brought with him, thanking everything that he remembered to bring this as he was leaving Sokka's tent. "You could escape the cold in here with me," he says as his gaze runs up and down her body making her shiver. Unfortunately, it's not due to the cold.

"I'm fine," she insists as he pulls the sleeping bag aside and climbs in. From the corner of his eye, he sees a pile of wood that he assumes Hana started to put together but never finished. He fire-blasts the fire until it's roaring, warm and nice.

"I could have done that myself," she says.

"But you didn't," he points out. "Get in the sleeping bag."

"No, because then I'd fall asleep," she says, a peal of breathy laughter escaping her mouth.

"That's the point, you need sleep," Zuko says as he pulls her down and drags her over to his bed.

"Before I do,  _ if  _ I do, I need to ask you a question."

Zuko pushes himself onto his elbows, his eyes boring into her being. He looks as if he's going to say something but changes his mind at the last minute. Hana lets out a deep sigh and turns her head away from. He gently places his hand on her shoulder and she doesn't push him away.

"Yeah, of course. Anything."

She finally pushes his hand off of her, a sad smile creeping onto her face. "Were you going to leave again? When you saw her, were you going to leave us all again?"

He sits up fully, cupping her face in his hands and brushing the skin under her eyes. "Hana. Absolutely not. I will never do that ever again," he says in a low voice. "Because I'd choose you again and again and again. I should have done it the first time."

She stays silent, not believing any of his words. He's struggling. She's inches away from him but she's never felt so far away.

"Do you know why I was even with her?" He asks her. He lets a few breaths pass by before seeing her shake her head. He smiles. "Because you weren't there. And I needed someone, so I stuck with Mai. But she wasn't you. No one will ever be you. Even when I was with her, I was thinking of you. I'd see your eyes in the moon, you voice in the wind, your face in fire. Everywhere."

She turns back to him. "I can't tell if you're lying or not."

He smiles at her. Light and free and bigger than ever. "If you want, I will say all of it all over again when Toph is awake so she can tell you I'm being sincere."

She reaches out a hand to him, cradling the right side of his face, her thumb brushing the bottom of his scar. He closes his eyes and pictures the first time he met her. Her thumb reaches his eye and he opens them, finding himself staring into her yellow eyes.

Her hands are cold. Zuko gets out of his sleeping bag and offers it to her once more.

"I'm fine," Hana says. She knows she shouldn't but it does look warm and knowing it was his makes it look even more so.

"Get in," he says in a breathy voice. His lips brushes her shoulder and heat floods her face once more. "Please." She looks at him once more. His eyes are large but she can see no fire in them, no will to fight her. "Sleep."

"Fine," she says, giving up as she climbs in. "But, where will you sleep?"

"I'll keep the fire going for a bit, so don't worry about me," he says, a smile plastered on his face. She stays awake a little longer, watching Zuko stare into the fire, his face lit up by the firelight. For a second Hana can believe that the past few months didn't happen. That they were still in Ba Sing Se. As soon as her eyes are closed Hana is dreaming about the man before her.

* * *

Hana groans angrily as the sound of Toph's giggling breaks her out of deep sleep. She slowly opens her eyes to see the dead fire when she feels a weight on her side. Han slowly slides her hand down to feel an arm at her side, she carefully turns around to see who was lying beside her. Her eyes meet a pair of sleepy eyes.

"Good morning Hana," Zuko yawns.

"What are you doing in here?" She screams-whispers as she pushes herself away from Zuko as much as she can in a sleeping bag. All at once she remembers the night before and a blush floods her face.

"Well it is my bed," he says, laughing as Hana hits his arm.

"That's not what I meant," she chides him.

Zuko sleepily leans in, his lips pressing against her forehead. Hana's body drifts back towards Zuko, their legs entwining together. Her hand slowly drifts up his warm chest, feeling each muscle as her hand snakes up to his collarbone before wrapping around his neck. Zuko's hands wanders down the side of her body, his thumb drifting over her waist before landing on the small of her back and pulling her closer.

"Hana!" She hears Sokka shout for her. She pushes Zuko away, pulling herself out of the sleeping bag, and glares at them all watching from a little farther down. 

The tips of Hana's ears burn red as she brushes off nothing from her person. From farther into the forest, two voices - a male and a female voice - are coming closer to their location in the woods. Hana chides Zuko, telling him to pack away the sleep roll as she gets rid of the evidence of the night before. They must look crazy when the pair of siblings finally make it to them because Sokka looks them up and down while Katara snickers.

"You look terrible," she says smugly.

Zuko brushes himself off before wrapping an arm around Hana, pulling her in and then, without thinking, places a chaste kiss on the side of her head. "I have to take care of something, but I'll find you after." Then he walked away from the dazed girl to grab Katara by the arm and drag her away. Her brother goes to confront the prince for taking his sister away but Hana just hooks her arm in his, leading him back to the campsite.

Sunlight warms up his skin as Zuko brings Katar away as far as he can to talk to her. He doesn't want anyone else what he's about to say to the waterbender, especially not Hana. She'd make his life an absolute hell if she caught wind of this.

"What do you think you're doing?" Katara cries, ripping her arm away from the prince. She turns on her heels to leave.

"I know who killed your mother-" Zuko's words stop her in her tracks "-and I'm going to help you find him." Katara casts him a look of shock, which soon turns to a look of anger.

* * *

"What do you think she goes to eat when she's out there?" Toph asks as she and Hana sit back-to-back waiting for Juno to return from getting her dinner.

Hana shrugs. "I don't know and I don't think I want to find out." She hasn't seen Zuko since this morning when he walked off with Katara. She wasn't sure what he needed to talk to her about that couldn't wait. The spot on her head where he placed his kiss is still hot. Hours have passed since then and Hana's been trying to keep her mind occupied by training with the Avatar and Toph while also sprinkling in some well deserved slack off time with her dragon. But now, with everyone thoroughly tired and Juno off on her own, Hana's mind can't stop going a mile a minute.

Her eyes trail around their campsite before falling onto Aang, who is feeding Appa a bail of hay. Sokka is resting next to him, fiddling around with a flower necklace. And then, she sees them. Katara and Zuko approach the bison and the prince's carrying a sack over his shoulder."

"I need to borrow Appa," Katara says before either of them can even ask where she's been all day.

The Avatar laughs a little. "Why? Is it your turn to take a little field trip with Zuko?"

"Yes, it is," she says without any hesitation. Aang's taken aback for a moment, but waits a few breaths, hoping she'll tell him that she was joking. But when she doesn't, he starts to become suspicious.

He looks back at Sokka, who's equally shocked. "Oh. What's going on?"

"We're going to find the man who took my mother from me."

Sokka jumps to his feet, looking between his sister and the prince. "What do you-"

"Hana told me the story of what happened. I know who did it and I know how to find him," the prince explains. He stands tall as he does, holding up enough confidence for both of them even if Katara held her own.

"Uhh," the Avatar hums, still trying to put together what exactly his friends were saying. "And what exactly do you think this will accomplish?"

Katara shakes her head in dismay. "I knew you wouldn't understand," she groans before beginning to walk away.

"Wait! Stop!" Aang shouts as he goes to grab the waterbender. "I do understand. You're feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do I think I felt about the sandbenders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?"

Zuko pulls Aang away from the girl. "She needs this, Aang. This is about getting closure."

"I don't think so," the Avatar says pointedly. "I think it's about getting revenge."

Katara blows up at her friend, getting into his face. "Fine, maybe it is! Maybe that's what I need! Maybe that's what he deserves!"

"Katara, you sound like Jet."

"It's not the same! Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he's a monster."

Sokka puts himself in between his sister and the Avatar before their argument escalated anymore. "Katara, she was my mother, too, but I think Aang might be right."

He doesn't know what to say to his sister's comment. He doesn't even think he could open his mouth right now without crying but thankfully Aang speaks up for him. "The monks used to say that revenge is like a two-headed rat viper. While you watch your enemy go down, you're being poisoned yourself."

Zuko scoffs. "That's cute, but this isn't air temple preschool. It's the real world."

The waterbender's eyes are more pleading this time as she looks back to her friend. "Now that I know he's out there ... now that I know we can find him, I feel like I have no choice."

"Katara, you do have a choice: forgiveness."

"That's the same as doing nothing," Zuko says, his own voice coming out rough.

"No, it's not," Aang says, wracking his brain for anything he could say that would stop his friends from doing what they are trying to accomplish. "It's easy to do nothing, but it's hard to forgive."

"It's not just hard," Katara screams. "It's impossible." Then, before Aang has the chance to say anything else, she turns her back to him and walks away. Zuko follows behind her, another plan already forming in his head. Because no matter what their friend has to say, it's not going to change their mind. But unfortunately for the both of them, something has changed.

And that's the fact that Hana has been sitting behind a rock, listening to the whole thing.

* * *

When the sun sets behind horizons, Katara and Zuko come out when the darkness conceals their bodies. They both cover themselves in black, and Katara ties her hair in a ponytail. They silently walk to the bison. Little do they know that behind one of the many rocks, Hana has been sitting and waiting for them all night.

The bison is stirred awake and groans at the disturbance in his sleep. She realizes that's her cue and gets up from behind the rock. "So you were just gonna take Appa anyway?"

Her voice startles both of them as they jump to see who followed them. Katara tenses up when she sees the firebender, but Zuko's shoulders slouch. In the dark his face is unreadable but Hana can tell he's refusing to look at her.

"Don't try to stop us," Katara says, her chin turned up at the girl.

"I wasn't planning to," Hana explains, which makes Katara relax but Zuko tense. "I just wanted to let you know that this is a stupid idea that will haunt you for the rest of your life." Her words send shivers down both of their spines but as the prince pulls away, Katara steps forward.

"How would you kn-"

"Because I've done it," she says without any hesitation. Zuko's seen her do it before. The night he first met her, she told him the story of the scars on her hands without any waver. He also noticed how her eyes glazed over, as if his brain was actively trying to forget the night. "Watched a man's life drain from his eyes because of my hands." She turns her eyes down to look at her scarred hands. "You'll never be the same."

Katara wavers for a moment, trying as quickly as she can to take in the firebenders words as she scoffs. "That's different. This man killed my mother and-"

"And that man tried to kill my family. It was self-defense." Zuko sees her eyes lose focus again, just like before. "At least that's what I tried to tell myself for a year. Over and over again, I'd tell myself it was us or him. That I had no choice. I barely remember that year except for those words. I didn't sleep because when I closed my eyes I saw his face moments before  _ I  _ killed him. I didn't eat because I felt guilty that I was alive and he wasn't. It wasn't long before I drove myself insane with guilt and finally burnt my own hands so I would never forget that day. That there would be a permanent reminder on my skin that I took a human life."

Zuko takes a step forward towards her, reaching out to take her hands in his but she pulls away, tucking her hands into her chest. "She doesn't know any better, but you- I thought you would have learned by now."

Hana turns back to Katara. "If you want to go, go. But I hope you're ready for the consequences that follow." She turns back and walks away. Not turning back even as they depart on the back of the flying bison.

* * *

The two ride silently until the sun rises. Then, only when they absolutely need to, does Zuko pull out a map and begin to orchestrate his plan.

"We need to find the Fire Navy communication tower," he explains. "All the navy's movements are coordinated by messenger hawks. And every tower has to be up to date on where everyone is deployed."

Katara nods. "So once we find the communication tower, we bust in and take the information we need."

"Not exactly. We need to be stealthy and make sure no one spots us, otherwise they'll warn the Southern Raiders long before we reach them."

Zuko studies the scrolls in his hands. He chews his lip as he does so and Katara studies his face, Hana's words still ringing through her ears. She's always seen the firebender with the scars on her hands but has never asked her before. Truthfully she always assumed she got them from a training session gone wrong. She would have never thought that they were self-inflicted. And the way that she spoke to Zuko, and the way she reacted, made Katara think that he'd known all along.

"Was everything she was speaking," Katara starts, trying to put her words into a sentence. Zuko takes his eyes away from the map to look up at her. "Was all of that true?"

He turns his eyes down again, that same look of shame washing over him as he nods. "She told me about it on the first day we met. She used to wear gloves to cover them up. I think if you asked her if she would do it all over again, I think she would in a heartbeat but she'd still regret it just like she does now."

"She told you that?" Katara asks, her voice the gentlest it's been all day. 

Zuko nods. They fall back into silence again until the prince finds what he's looking for on the map. "Okay, Southern Raiders." He points to a spot on the paper. "On patrol near Whaletail Island."

The waterbender leans over him to take a look at the map, her heartbeat quickens as her eyes steeling themselves. "Whaletail Island, here we come."

* * *

As soon as their destined location emerges, Zuko steers Appa into the water. Katara waterbends an air bubble around his head so they can breathe. The Fire Nation soldiers above yell as a large water whip emerges from the surface and coils around his body, dragging him off the ship. The other soldiers run to the source of the incident in shock. Appa surfaces and Katara waterbends two huge waves at the ship. The others turn around to see the torrent of water flood the ship, washing them overboard. Appa lands on the deck. One soldier, who has managed to stay aboard the ship, attacks Katara, who pushes him away with a gush of water. She and Zuko make their way through the corridors of the ship, Katara's arms covered in water for defense. One soldier bursts from his cabin, a sword in hand only to be attacked and locked back inside by Zuko. Katara follows him to a large doorway, where they abruptly halt.

"This is it, Katara. Are you ready to face him?" Zuko asks Katara.

Katara pulls down her face mask and lets out a cry as she sends a powerful stream of water toward the door. She bursts inside of the room, the door having been knocked down by the impact of the water. The Southern Raiders commander attempts to attack Zuko, who only deflects his firebending attacks.

"Who are you?" The commander asks.

"You don't remember her? You will soon, trust me," Zuko says. The Southern Raiders commander prepares to strike once more, however, the prince gets the upper hand and is able to pin him down before he can land another blow. "Think back. Think back to your last raid on the Southern Water Tribe."

Now that the commander is helplessly subdued, he cries. "I don't know what you're talking about. Please, I don't know!"

Zuko forces the man down to the ground, digging his knees harshly into the wood. "Don't lie! You look her in the eye and you tell me you don't remember what you did."

Katara leans down to face him. Zuko fixes him into a position where the Southern Raiders commander looks right into her eyes. She gives him a cold, hard stare. It only takes her a moment to realize that the man that is in front of her now is not the man she's looking for.

"What? What do you mean he's not? He's the leader of the Southern Raiders! He has to be the guy!" Katara remains silent and begins walking away. Zuko grabs the weak commander and pins him to the wall. "If you're not the man we're looking for, who is?"

"You must be looking for Yon Rha. He retired four years ago."

* * *

It's late the next day by the time Katara and Zuko return. All of them but Hana rush to the two. Katara bats away her friends' concerns as they follow her around the campsite asking questions after question. Zuko, on the other hand, is left all by himself. He scans the grounds, looking for only one person, and when his eyes finally fall on her she avoids his eyes. Her dragon lets out a low growl in the prince's direction.

Even with the warnings of hostility coming in his direction, Zuko still makes his way towards Hana. He's learned after all this time that being next to an angry Hana is better than not being near her at all.

Juno won't let him into the circle she's made around Hana so he takes a seat next to the overgrown lizard in the grass. 

"She didn't do it," he says, hoping that might get a response from her. When it doesn't he continues. "I thought I could help her. I mean... you know that revenge and rage are my specialty after all. I just- I just wanted her to trust me like the rest of you do and I thought if I helped her, she would." Still, no response comes from the other side of the scaly wall. He runs his hands over his face, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. "Come on, talk to me please. What do you want me to say? I made a mistake, I screwed up, I'm sorry. You're right. I didn't want you to know because I knew you wouldn't like the idea but I didn't think this would be the response. Please, just talk to me. I can't have you not speaking to me again."

He finally looks up when he feels a hand run up his leg, and there in front of him is his favorite person. She gives him a strained smile and that's better than anything Zuko could have hoped for. Hooking his arm behind her back, he pulls her down onto the grass with him. He pulls her closer, whispering more apologies into her ear.

He doesn't know how many seconds... or minutes, hours, who cares, pass before they pull away again. Hana reaches up, tracing the lines of his body as she does, and cups his face in her hands.

"We've got to stop finding ourselves in this position," she says as she draws circles over his skin and scar. "No matter how much I like being held by you while you tell me I'm right over and over again."

They stay in each other's arms for a while until Aang finds them there and breaks them up. The boy purposefully walks in between them as they go to find Katara, who's sitting on the edge of the dock overlooking the water. Her eyes are closed, paddling the water with her feet. She opens her eyes sadly as they approach her.

"Katara? Are you okay?" Aang asks.

"I'm doing fine," she answers but doesn't turn to look at any of them.

The Avatar kneels down next to her. "Zuko told me what you did. Or what you didn't do, I guess. I'm proud of you."

She looks back at her friends, her eyes falling from Aang to Zuko to Hana. "I wanted to do it. I wanted to take all my anger at him, but I couldn't do it. I don't know if it's because I'm too weak to do it or because I'm not strong enough. The only thing I do know is that I never wanted to remember his face again."

"You did the right thing," Aang says, his own heart lighter than it was the day before. "Forgiveness is the first step you have to take to begin healing."

Katara rises off the ground. "I didn't forgive him. I'll never forgive him." She looks up at Zuko, who tenses for a moment as she walks up to him. "But I am ready to forgive you." She hugs him, arms wrapped around his shoulders, and the prince stills before eventually embracing her back.

After they release each other from the embrace, Katara jumps from Zuko to Hana, locking arms with the girl and steering her away from the dock. The two girls walk away from the boys, and when they're just far enough away Katar whispers something in Hana's ear that they can't hear but can clearly see pulls tears into the firebender's eyes.

Zuko walks up to the Avatar, his eyes still on Hana's back as they walk away. "You were right about what Katara needed. Violence wasn't the answer."

"It never is."

"Then I have a question for you." Zuko turns to look at the Avatar, his face hard and eyes ablaze. "What are you going to do when you face my father?"


	30. The Ember Island Players

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana stares stunned at the direction the little girl ran off to. "Am I not cool enough? I think I'm cool. I have scars, weird birthmarks and a dragon. I'm wanted personally by the Fire Lord. How much else do I need to be cool?"
> 
> Zuko chuckles, resting a hand on top of her head to bring her in closer again. "I don't know if you want to be yelling that you're a wanted criminal. Probably the number one most wanted criminal to my father right now."
> 
> She pushes out her bottom lip, puppy-dog eyes looking up at the prince. "I'm cool, right?"
> 
> "Yes, of course," Zuko laughs. He ruffles her hair until her pout changes into a wide smile. "You're the coolest. So so so cool."

  
  


> “To attract good fortune, spend a new coin on an old friend, share an old pleasure with a new friend, and lift up the heart of a true friend by writing his name on the wings of a dragon.”
> 
> \- Chinese Proverb
> 
>   
>    
> 

Aang, Zuko and Hana are practicing firebending. The two boys pair off together while the girl stands in front of her ferocious beast. They create sweeping arcs of fire that dissipate into the ground, raising an arm and leg, sending forth streams of fire, before leaning forward and sending forth another stream of fire. Aang and Zuko stand upright, assuming a final fighting stance before closing their eyes, relaxing their postures, and taking a deep breath. Toph and Katara sit on the steps of the Royal Family's mansion. 

Juno's skin absorbs Hana's blows and the dragon barely bats an eye, as if the firebenders attacks were nothing more than a breeze. 

Zuko and Aang bow to one another, and the girl stretches her arms and walks towards Katara and Toph, who have laid down on the ground, relaxing. 

"Doesn't it seem kind of weird that we're hiding from the Fire Lord in his own house?" Katara asks when the three shadows come into her view.

"I told you," Zuko says as he takes a seat on a dried-up fountain next to Hana. "My father hasn't come here since our family was actually happy. And that was a long time ago. It's the last place anyone would think to look for us."

Sokka and Suki join the five, Sokka's holding a rolled-up scroll. "You guys are not gonna believe this! There's a play about us."

"We were just in town and we found this poster!" Suki explains as Sokka shows the poster for the play to the others. It depicts Katara, Aang, Sokka with Zuko's scarred face in the background.

"What? How is that possible?" Katara asks.

"Listen to this," Sokka says. "The Boy in the Iceberg is a new production from acclaimed playwright Pu-on Tim, who scoured the globe gathering information on the Avatar, from the icy South Pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources include singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war, and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage. Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players."

Zuko groans. "My mother used to take us to see them. They butchered  _ Love Amongst the Dragons _ every year!"

"Sokka, do you really think it's a good idea to attend a play about ourselves?" Katara asks.

"Come on, a day at the theater? This is the kind of wacky time-wasting nonsense I've been missing!" Sokka says persuasively.

* * *

The group takes their seats in the highest box they could find. Truthfully, Hana's shocked that they were able to make it into the theater undetected. She thought that they would be found out, what with four of the group's faces plastered on the wall.

"Why are we sitting in the nosebleed section?" Toph groans. "My feet can't see a thing from up here!"

Katara pats her friend's head. "Don't worry, I'll tell your feet what's happening."

The curtains rise and for the next half hour, Hana and the others watch the most ridiculous scene unfold. It's her friends - Sokka, Katara and Aang - but, they're different. Katara is an older, more robust woman. Sokka is a tall, lanky, string-bean of a man.

When they thought their appearances were the worst things about their characters, the personalities the people give them make the whole group silent.

Katara's high-strung and overly bossy while the boy who's playing her brother talks about food every other line. And the other lines are poorly timed jokes or just stupid remarks. 

"This is pathetic! My jokes are way funnier than this!" Sokka complains, not able to move his eyes away from the stage.

Toph, on the other hand, is laughing. "I think he's got you pegged!"

On stage, the woman who is playing Katara launches into her own monologue. She stands up in the fake canoe, her hand over her heart. "Every day, the world awaits a beacon to guide us, yet none appears! Still, we cannot give up hope!" The woman bursts into tears. "For hope, is all we have! And we must never relinquish it, even- even to our dying breath!"

She falls back into the canoe, dramatically crying into her hands.

As much as they don't want to, the group around the waterbender bursts into laughter. Suki has to press her hand against her mouth to stave off her laughter. Even her own brother looks at Katara with an amused smile.

"Well, that's just silly. I don't sound like that." Katara scoffs, arms crossed over her chest.

Toph is absolutely elated. "Oh man! This writer's a genius!"

The two on the stage come across a paper-mache iceberg that is glowing in the center. Aang actually leans forward in his seat, awaiting his own character to make his debut on the stage. 

Actor Katara performs a karate chop, mimicking waterbending. The glow disappears from view and the prop splits in half, sending forth a jet of steam. An actress leaps up on screen and poses, winking and with one hand on hip. The actress is visibly wearing a flesh-colored cap over her hair to portray herself as bald; the cap also bears the airbending mastery tattoo. She wears an excessive amount of blush on her cheeks and her overall physiognomy and demeanor clearly display her femininity.

The actual Avatar momentarily closes his eyes and cringes in disbelief before leaning forward over the railing even more, eyes bugging out. 

"Who are you, frozen boy?" Actor Katara asks.

Actor Aang has a high-pitched giggle. "I'm the Avatar, silly, here to spread joy and fun!"

"Wait," Aang says in disbelief. "Is that a woman playing me?"

The play goes through a crude, costumed-version of Appa, bringing Aang back to their Water Tribe village, the people of the village (who acted just like the actor Katara) before the stage is switched from the Water Tribe to a Fire Nation ship. A man portraying Prince Zuko stands at the bow of the ship, garbed in a Fire Nation soldier's uniform and peering through a telescope. The actor portraying Iroh stands at the helm. The actor has a very rotund, round-faced man sporting a slightly exaggerated imitation of the real Iroh's hairstyle, complete with a top-knot, beard, and sideburns.

"Prince Zuko, you  _ must _ try this cake!" Iroh says as he holds up a platter of cake with one slice missing.

Actor Zuko looks through the telescope. He wears a headpiece that sports a ponytail that most men in the Fire Nation wear, albeit slightly exaggerated, and Zuko's scar; the replicated scar, while realistic, is worn over the wrong eye.

"I don't have time to stuff my face!" He lowers his telescope and turns to Actor Iroh. "I must capture the Avatar to regain my honor!

"Well, while you do that, maybe I'll capture another slice." He holds the cake up higher before bringing it toward his face and proceeding to gobble it down ravenously and noisily. The whole scene makes Hana sick.

"You sicken me!"

Both her and Zuko cross their arms. Zuko with his character portrayal but Hana can't help but look at him with a smug smile.

The prince gestures to the stage. "They make me look totally stiff and humorless."

"Actually, I think that actor's pretty spot on," she replies, reaching over and pinching his cheek. He flushes and takes his hand in hers, placing a kiss on her skin. For a moment, they forget all about the play, even for just a moment.

The play progresses and introduces Momo, the Southern Air Temple and even Suki and the Kyoshi warriors. Suki's actress is actually pretty cute, and even the actually Suki knows this by the smug smile on her face.

At one point, actor Sokka has a dress on and Suki tries to comfort him.

There's Omashu and Earth King Bumi. More Fire Nation soldiers and even the Blue Spirit makes an appearance, but on the opposite side of the stage stands Actor Zuko as if the two couldn't possibly be one. Hana reaches a hand over to Zuko and squeezes his hand.

When an actor made to look like Jet appears on the stage, Hana's heart stops. He looks so similar that all the fears from the last time she saw him resurface. Even Zuko slips his arm around her back, his fingers skimming along the scar that he left.

At one point an actor with white hair, dressed like a princess walks out on stage and everyone around Sokka hears him when he gasps. On stage, Sokka makes out with the girl, Yue, and in the box Sokka and Suki are whispering to each other. 

Finally the curtains close and the audience files out for the first intermission. The group stays in their seats, well out of sight of the other people.

"So far, this intermission is the best part of the play," Zuko says. 

Hana pats his arm. "It could be worse. You could have been played by a woman after all."

"Or the playwright could think that you're an idiot who tells bad jokes about meat all the time!" Sokka says as he walks down the stairs holding a bag of flaming fire flakes and sits back down next to Suki.

"Yeah, you tell bad jokes about plenty of other topics," Suki says, sarcastically.

Sokka eats a fire flake. "I know!"

"At least the Sokka actor kind of looks like you. That woman playing the Avatar doesn't resemble me at all!" Aang huffs.

"I don't know, you are more in touch with your feminine side than most guys," Toph says.

"Relax, Aang. They're not accurate portrayals. It's not like I'm a preachy cry-baby who can't resist giving over emotional speeches about hope all the time," Katara solaces him. Everyone turns to her, not giving her the most convincing look. "What?"

Aang turns around and sits down. "Yeah, that's not you at all." 

"Listen friends, it's obvious that the playwright did his research. I know it must hurt, but what you're seeing up there on that stage is the truth," Toph says.

* * *

While her friends continue to groan over the portrayal over themselves during the play, Hana wishes she even had something to pick apart. The playwrights forgot Hana entirely. She thought that it was a mistake when she didn't see her name on the playbill but she never showed up, not once. Even in Ba Sing Se, the hot-headed Zuko and the lazy Iroh were shown to be completely alone in their exclusion.

"I worked in that tea shop too, you know," she grumbles. Zuko laughs and squeezes her knee as Hana sinks deeper into her theater seat.

Behind them Toph shushes the two. "This is it, this must be where I come in!"

From a trapdoor beneath the rock prop and holds it above his head. "You can't find an earthbending master in the sky, you have to look underground!" He throws away the prop.

The group can't hold back any laughter while Zuko looks up from a piece of paper, stunned. Toph is still looking eager.

"Who are you?" Actor Aang asks.

The big man playing Toph spits on the ground. "My name's Toph, because it sounds like tough, and that's just what I am!" The audience laughs as he flexes.

"Wait a minute," Toph says, leaning her ear closer to the stage. "I sound like a guy. A really buff guy."

Katara smirks. "Well Toph, what you hear up there is the truth. It hurts, doesn't it?"

"Are you kidding me?" Toph breaks out into an amused laughter. "I wouldn't have cast it any other way! At least it's not a flying bald lady!" The comment stings Aang.

The Team Avatar players and actors Zuko and Iroh cornering actor Azula.

"Azula, my sister, what are you doing here?" Actor Zuko asks.

"You caught me. Wait, what's that?" Actor Azula points in a direction off the stage. "I think it's your honor!"

The actor who plays Zuko turns his back to her, searching for his 'honor' as actor Azula makes her escape off stage right.

Actor Zuko turns towards the stage. "She escaped, but how?"

A stagehand sitting on a stool rotates a lever to reveal a large drill prop which actor Azula stands on while it drills through a wall that actor Aang attempts to stand on. One stagehand dressed in black clothing shakes the wall while another waves smoke onto the stage.

The woman playing Aang swings back and forth on a wire holding her to the ceiling. "If she continues drilling, this wall will come down for sure!"

A stagehand offers actor Aang a rock prop, which she throws at actor Azula. She blocks the prop rock easily. "Haha, yes! Continue drilling! The city of Ba Sing Se can hide no longer!"

Actor Aang throws two more rock props at Azula. From the other side of the stage actor Jet jumps in front of the camera. This time he's wearing googly eyes and waves his hook hands around. The actors playing Team Avatar surround Jet.

"No, Jet! What did they do to you?" Actor Aang asks.

"Must ... serve ... Earth King!" He swings his hook hand wildly at actor Aang and actor Sokka. "Must ... destroy!

A stage hand throws a hollow rock prop which floats down. Actor Jet falls down so that he lands underneath the prop and has to crawl all the way under.

Zuko and Hana exchange looks of disbelief before he leans over to Sokka. "Did Jet just ... die?" Zuko asks.

"You know, it was really unclear."

And then a scene spreads out on the stage that makes Hana's blood run cold. The woman who is playing Katara is sharing the stage, the man playing Zuko and the stage background is painted as the Crystal Catacombs. Again, Hana is nowhere to be found. As if she was never there in the first place.

"I have to admit Prince Zuko, I  _ really _ find you attractive!"

Hana's whole body tenses as the words from fake Katara rings in her ears. She barely registers when real Katar puts a hand on her shoulder and the real Zuko captures one of her hands in his.

"You don't have to make fun of me," actor Zuko says bashfully.

"But I mean it!" The woman sits down with actor Zuko. "I've had eyes for you since the day you first captured me!" Hana squeezes Zuko's hand tighter. She's crushing his hand but he wouldn't let go for anything.

Actor Zuko stands up. "Wait, I thought you were the Avatar's girl."

It's not right. Hana's brain screams that none of this is right. Katara has never been 'the Avatar's girl'. At least never after she joined them. But at that time, at the time of their imprisonment and Zuko's ultimate betrayal they - Zuko and Hana - were together. Hana, the girl the playwrights don't even think is important enough to add to the play, was dating the Prince of the Fire Nation.

And how well did that turn out for her?

The woman playing Katara laughs. "The Avatar?" She stands up and saunters towards the play Zuko. "Why, he's like a little brother to me! I certainly don't think of him in a romantic way. Besides, how could he ever find out about this?" Actor Katara and actor Zuko embrace and hold hands and Hana jumps out of her seat, no longer able to watch the scene in front of her.

Sokka leans over to her as she passes him. "Oh, you're getting up? Can you get me some fire flakes?" He puts an arm around Suki and another wave of nausea rolls over her. "Ooh, and fire gummies!"

Hana sneaks out of the theater hall and eventually out of the building entirely. Taking a seat on a grassy part of the beach, she buries her feet in the sand. She takes in a few breaths of the salty sea air, trying to calm her mind from the chaos inside. Miles and miles of ocean laid before her and for a few moments she admired the water. It was only the second time she had seen the ocean fully, the other time on her way to Ba Sing Se.

It truly was a shock how much time had passed since then.

Closing her eyes, Hana let the warm wind envelop her entire body. After a few breaths soft footsteps and a figure intruding the warm wind makes her brain start working again.

She opens her eyes and right in front of her is the Fire Prince himself, with a warm smile on his face. It irks her a little, she can't tell if his presence calms her down or makes her panic more.

"Do you wanna tell me why you left in the middle of the play?" He asks, reaching out to grab her hand.

Hana lets him take it, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. 

She shrugs, her mouth not letting her say the words that she wants to say. Zuko sighs and lowers himself fully next to her, throwing an arm over her shoulders and tucking her head under his chin.

"Is it because they didn't write you into the play?" He pokes at her side. "They didn't have a tiny, ugly ballerina chasing around two little girls and nagging at an honor-obsessed prince and lazy old man."

Finally, Hana cracks a smile that makes Zuko grow bigger. She nuzzles her face into his robes, taking in his scent mixed with the salt sticking to his skin.

"You won't leave me again, right?" She asks, her voice slightly muffled by the cloth.

Zuko acts immediately, wrapping his other arm around her and squeezing tight. She mimics his movement, reaching up and clinging to his shoulders. Her heartbeat subsides, her breathing steadies, her temper calms. And then, with his breath tickling her ear, he whispers gently. "Never, in a million years, never." He pulled away from her, cupping her face in his hands and resting their foreheads together. "It's always going to be you. There's no one else for me."

She laughs, snot and unshed tears making that laughter watery. "So I don't have to worry about you and Katara running off together?"

Hesitantly, he places a kiss on the corner of her mouth. "The only person I'd be running off with is you, but unfortunately we won't have that opportunity cause we have a nation to save."

That's all she needed to hear to completely relax in his arms. 

* * *

"It seems like every time there's a big battle, you guys barely make it out alive. I mean, you guys lose a lot!" Suki says. Hana and Zuko joined the rest outside the theater, the second intermission in full swing. Aang's nowhere to be found.

"You're one to talk, Suki. Didn't Azula take you captive? That's right, she did!" Sokka says.

Suki looks at the boy, her face pinched. "Are you trying to get on my bad side?"

"I'm just saying..."

"Does anyone know where Aang is?" Katara asks, looking around for the Avatar.

Sokka shrugs. "He left right after those two," he points at the firebenders. "Hey, weren't you supposed to get me some fire gummies? I've been waiting for, like, ten minutes." He grumbles under his breath, turning back to Suki who doesn't have much more patience for him than Hana does.

"I'm gonna check outside," Katara says and leaves the group to look for him around the theater.

"Suki, what are the chances you can get me backstage? I got some jokes I want to give to the actor me," Sokka asks.

"I'm an elite warrior who's trained for many years in the art of stealth," Suki answers before a wide smile crosses her face. "I think I could get you backstage!"

Suki and Sokka left, leaving Zuko, Toph and Hana alone once more. A little girl wearing an Avatar costume runs past them, getting a tired laugh from Hana. "Geez, everyone's getting so upset about their characters," Toph sighs. She kicks at the Fire Prince. "Even you seem more down than usual, and that's saying something!"

"You don't get it, it's different for you," Zuko says. "You get a muscly version of yourself, taking down ten bad guys at once, and making sassy remarks."

"At least you're in the play," Hana says under her breath.

This gets a smile out of the boy. "That's not the only reason," Zuko says. "For me, it takes all the mistakes I've made in my life, and shoves them back in my face. My uncle, he's always been on my side, even when things were bad. He was there for me, he taught me so much, and how do I repay him? With a knife in his back. It's my greatest regret, and I may never get to redeem myself."

Toph sits down next to him. "You've redeemed yourself to your uncle. You don't realize it, but you already have." she says. Zuko stiffens and Hana takes his hand in hers.

"How do you know?" Zuko asks.

"Because I once had a long conversation with the guys, and all he would talk about was you," Toph says.

"What?" Hana says, a little taken aback. "You never told me that."

Toph shrugs. "It was kind of annoying."

"Oh," Zuko mutters. "Sorry."

"But it was also very sweet. All your uncle wanted was for you to find your own path, and see the light. Now you're here with us. He'd be proud," Toph explains. Hana smiles, then laughs as she watches Toph punch Zuko on the shoulder. Not a soft, playful punch but a hard, will be sore in the morning kind of punch.

"Ow!" Zuko groans. "What was that for?"

"That's how I show affection." Then Toph walks back to the main stage to get back into her seat.

Zuko nestles closer to Hana and they savor another moment of aloneness before the same young girl from before runs past the two of them and stops right in front of the prince. "Your Zuko costume's pretty good, but your scar's on the wrong side." She points to his scar and giggles.

"The scar's not on the wrong side," Zuko grumbles and covers his face with his hood.

Hana reaches out to the girl as she begins to run off. "Hey, little girl." She stops to face the firebender. "You've heard of Prince Zuko obviously, and the Avatar, and Katara and Sokka and Toph and even Suki." The little girl nods as Hana runs off a few more names, not quite sure where she's going. "But have you heard of a girl named Hana before?" She finally asks, an eager smile crossing her face.

The little girl pinches her eyebrows together like she's trying her hardest to think of their names. She groans and moans before just shaking her head. "Nope," she pops before running back to an older woman who must be her mother.

Hana stares stunned at the direction the little girl ran off to. "Am I not cool enough? I think I'm cool. I have scars, weird birthmarks and a  _ dragon _ . I'm wanted personally by the Fire Lord. How much else do I need to be cool?"

Zuko chuckles, resting a hand on top of her head to bring her in closer again. "I don't know if you want to be yelling that you're a wanted criminal. Probably the number one most wanted criminal to my father right now."

She pushes out her bottom lip, puppy-dog eyes looking up at the prince. "I'm cool, right?"

"Yes, of course," Zuko laughs. He ruffles her hair until her pout changes into a wide smile. "You're the coolest. So so so cool."

Everything's calming, so calming that Hana almost falls asleep. People have begun filing into the main theater room to wait for the third act to start up. The smell of the ocean outside fills up the room the two are sitting in. When the muffled sound of music comes into the room, Zuko shakes awake the drowsy Hana and leads her into the theater.

* * *

Aang returns to the rest of the group and sits in the back row with Suki and Sokka. "Here's what you missed," Sokka whispers to the Avatar. "We went to the Fire Nation, you got better, and Katara was the Painted Lady. I got a sword, and I think Combustion man died. Oh, look, the Invasion's about to start!" Sokka shushes no one but himself.

Actors Katara and Aang are standing on one of the submarines on the stage. "I just wanted to let you know, Aang, that I'll always love you. Like a brother," actor Katara says.

Actor Aang punches the air. "I wouldn't want it any other way!" The two shake hands. Actor Aang opens her miniature glider and flies up via a rope attached to the catwalk. The women playing Katara and Toph, as well as Sokka look around on top of the submarine.

"Hey, Toph, would you say you and Aang have a rocky relationship?" Actor Sokka asks. The real Sokka laughs hysterically, obviously these must be the lines he snuck backstage to give to the actor. "I hope everyone's ready for the Invasion. Slap-a-pow!"

The curtain rises, two stagehands clad in black finish pushing the Royal Palace prop and runs off stage. The actors enter from the sides of the stage while actor Aang drops in from above the stage.

"We finally made it to the Royal Palace, but no one's home!" The woman playing Aang says. Actor Zuko enters the stage. Actor Sokka raises his boomerang.

"Actually, I'm home and I want to join you," actor Zuko says.

Hana groans, wishing she had just fallen asleep out in the hallway so she wouldn't have to watch this

"I guess we have no choice." Actor Sokka says as he lowers his boomerang. Hana leans her head back against her seat. Oh if only it was that easy. "Come on!"

All of the actors exit the stage, but the girl playing the Avatar is lifted off the stage dramatically. Sokka stands up and stretches. "I guess that's it. The play's caught up to the present now," he says. Hana and a couple others in their group start standing up, more than ready to leave but the others pull those back down.

"Wait, the play's not over!" Suki says. Everyone sits back down.

"But it is over," Sokka says, crossing his arms over his chest. "Unless this is the future."

And then, before all of them, an actor dressed in full Royal gear stands before them. It's Ozai. He's not funny looking or miserably casted, he's by far the best looking person who has walked out onto the stage and he stands with such confidence that anyone in the audience could believe that he was actually Fire Lord Ozai. He's standing on the Royal Palace prop, making him look three taller. An orange lantern held by a small cable with paper flames slowly moves across the stage. 

"With the energy harnessed from that comet, no one will be able to stop the Fire Nation!" Actor Ozai says, his voice so deep that it sends shivers down everyone in the group's spine.

Actor Azula enters and stands next to the man playing her father. "Father; Zuko and the Avatar are at the Palace. They're trying to stop you!"

"You take care of Zuko. I shall face the Avatar myself!" Actor Ozai says and disappears behind a smokescreen.

Actor Zuko jumps on stage and a rope lowers the fake Aang on stage as she holds her miniature glider prop. "Aang! You find the Fire lord, we'll hold her off!" Actor Zuko says.

"You are no longer my brother. You are an enemy!" Azula says. "And she has been the enemy from the beginning!"

"No! I am the rightful heir to the throne!" Actor Zuko says.

"We'll see!" Actor Azula shouts. She pulls out her blue streamer and snaps it at the fake Zuko who ducks out of the way. Actor Zuko holds two red streamers and jumps to the other side of his playwright Azula. He throws his two red streamers at her and she jumps over him. She raises her hand not holding the blue streamer. Five red paper resembling flames shoot from the ground starting at actor Azula. The last ones cover actor Zuko until only his silhouettes can be seen.

"Honor!"

Actor Zuko yells. They drop off stage through a trapdoor with more flames coming from the bottom. The character Azula bows and the audience below them cheers. They all exchange looks with each other as worry sets deeper and deeper. The people below them just cheered, celebrating the death of their Crown Prince. The boy who's sitting only feet away from them. The boy who's now shaking with fury or fear. Hana can't tell.

The scene changes and now Aang walks across the stage to the terrifying man playing Ozai, sitting on his throne beneath Sozin's Comet prop. "So, you have mastered all four elements?" Ozai asks.

"Yeah, and now you're going down!" Aang says as she points her staff prop at him.

"No! It is you who is going down!" Ozai says as he stands up. "You see, you're too late! The comet is already here, and I'm unstoppable!"

Actor Ozai wields two red streamers. He attacks Aang, who jumps out of the way. Actress Aang opens her glider, which now has two small blue banners waving behind her. She twirls the weapon, as if it's a baton and not an actual weapon. Actor Ozai circles his streamers while his counterpart jumps over him with the help of a rope. She tries to get close to actor Ozai, but he makes her back away using his red streamers. The woman playing Aang jumps over actor Ozai, who fires a constant stream of red streamers at her. When actor Aang lands, actor Ozai sends a large red sheet straight at her. A silhouetted stagehand lets go of the prop and runs away. The fake Aang is wrapped in fire.

She screams as the fire takes her down until she's flat, unmoving on the ground and again, the crowd cheers at the dead body of Aang lying on the ground before them.

"It is over, Father. We've done it!" Actor Azula says.

"Yes! We have done it!" Actor Ozai says as large fire sheets rise behind him and a platform lifts him up. "The dreams of my father and my father's father have now been realized," he shouts. The flag of Hana's home nation drops from the ceiling and again she wants to throw up. 

"The world... is... mine!" Ozai says with a smile that can't all be acting.

The audience except the group above cheers loudly and gives a standing ovation to the cast that had just put on a performance of a lifetime.

* * *

Overall, the reviews are similar.

Horrible.

Awful.

Disgusting.

"But the effects were decent!" Sokka says as he walks with his arm around Suki.

No one else has anything else to say as they walk back to the Fire Lord's house. There's an eerie silence between them, the listless feeling washes over all of them. It's true that Sozin's comet is only a few days away but watching all their friends die, and then hearing the cheers around them, is another feeling entirely. They all separate when they make it back.

Hana shuts herself into their room before anyone could say a word to her.

The prince goes to the kitchen, trying to clear his head of the night. He knows the man on the stage was not his father but he reminded Zuko so much of him that it scared him. His stance, his demeanor, his voice. Everything he did made Zuko feel like a little boy again. A little boy who's mother left him all alone with a father who would later scar him, literally, and a sister who never loved him even if she tried.

No matter how much he tries, the shaky feeling won't go away and all he wants to do is go to bed and wrap himself around Hana. When he gets back to the bedroom, he's disappointed to see she's not there. Refusing to get into a cold bed he walks through the house but can't find her anywhere. Then, when he starts to panic, he sees a shadow walking outside of the house.

He looks out of an open window and finds Hana walking to the beach. Wasting no time, Zuko jumps out of the window and follows her out.

He finds her standing in the sea, the water reaching her ankles. She only has on a warrior's wrap and combed cotton shorts. Heat floods his face even if her back is facing him. He can't take her eyes off her as the wind plays with strands of her hair. 

"How long are you going to stand there?" she asks.

Zuko goes to stand next to her. "How did you know I was there?"

"Wherever I go, you always seem to follow," she responds and looks at him. 

He takes her hand, tugging her hand forward. "Wanna swim?"

"I can't," she says but the prince is already pulling her into the water. They walk until the waves reach Hana's waist. Then, Zuko dives. Hana stands there shocked, feeling the water engulf her until the prince eventually resurfaces. Hana can't breath as she watches him - hair pushed back from his head, clothes sopping wet and clinging to him. Zuko swims next to her and she wipes the water from his face.

He wraps his arms around her and she leans into his heat. From behind her, Zuko laughs and Hana can feel the vibrations against her back. "It's so beautiful out tonight."

"You're feeling better then?" She asks. He sighs and she can feel him nodding. She turns around. "I didn't know you could swim."

The smile falls from Zuko's face for only a moment. "Azula and I would go swimming every summer when we were here."

"Anything fun or were you both trying to kill each other?"

Surprisingly, the prince laughs. "No, actually. We used to play tag, but then again with Azula I always seemed to get a lungful of salt water by the end."

"Tag! You're it!" Hana laughs as she tags him and swims... more like staggers away from him. Zuko stares at her for a breath, watching just how ungraceful she is in the water before swimming after her. Hana starts bobbing when the water reaches her chest. Everything is silent behind her, but when she turns around Zuko pounces on her. They both fall into the water as Hana screams. Two arms curl under her legs and the prince picks her up out from under the water.

A low growl enters Hana's ear and she turns back to land. From the shore, Juno looks ready to attack anyone who made her keeper scream. Instantly, Hana is stumbling out of the water with Zuko not too far behind her.

"Hey, hey girl. I'm fine. See I'm all good." The dragon calms just a little but doesn't completely relax until she sees Hana fully. "We were just playing. Yeah, I'm fine." She gives the dragon a turn and then, finally, Juno sighs and looks at her like  _ You woke me up for this.  _

Hana wrings her hair out as she and Zuko sit on the sand. An easy silence washes over them as the wind dries them off. Hana knows she needs a shower, but she also knows that's for future Hana to worry about because right now she's leaning over to the Fire Prince as he brings her closer to him and plants a kiss on his jawline, tasting the salt on his skin.

She rests her chin on his shoulder, snaking a hand up his back to curl it into his hair. "I never thought I'd say this but you look really good when you're wet."

Zuko flinches a little, shocked at her comment, but he recovers quickly. "Well then," he says and Hana is already regretting saying anything. "When the war is over maybe we can find some other activities to do that would require  _ both _ of us to get wet."

She groans. Telling him to shut up, she tries to wiggle out of his grasp but he pulls her back harder until her back is resting against his chest. Giving up almost immediately, he hugs her and she places her head on his chest. Not that she'd ever admit it but she loved listening to his heartbeats. 

"We should come back here again," Zuko whispers in her ear. "When we're not on the run of course."

Hana couldn't agree fast enough.

* * *

By the time they dried off completely and Hana finally got Zuko to let her go, the night's almost over. They probably have about four/five hours of sleep. That was if Zuko let her go to bed. Crickets chirp through the house as the two step gently as to not have the floor creak under them. Who knows what the others would say if they woke up and found them still up.

Hana turns to enter one of the empty rooms but a hand holds onto her in place. "I should get to bed, you know," she says in a low voice. She tilts her eyes up to see his moonlit silhouette.

"Join me," he breathes. For a moment she thinks that it's just the wind but he's still looking at her in complete seriousness that took the last bit of breath she had left.

Leaning closer to him, Hana sighs, "Should I?"

"Only if you want to," Zuko whispers back, his warm breath tickling her neck. Hana nods and he turns around to walk into his room, Hana giggling the whole way in.


	31. The Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It'll never be enough," he finally says. Hana listens to the sounds of night, waiting for the prince to elaborate, but he never does.
> 
> "What won't be enough?" She prompts.
> 
> "Me," he groans. Hana can see that he's trying to keep an emotion at bay but it's a losing battle on his face. "I'm not. I wasn't enough for my father and no matter how much I do to help the Avatar, it'll never repair the harm I did as his enemy."

  
  


> “My knight may not wear a coat of shining armor, but his code of glowing honor will never fail to protect us both from evils far worse than any fire-breathing dragon.”
> 
> \- Richelle E. Goodrich,  _ Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, and Grumblings for Every Day of the Year _

  
  


Everyone wakes up the next morning and it's as if the play never happened. No one says a word about it, and no one asks the firebenders any questions when they wake up with dark circles and bloodshot eyes. Aang and Zuko resume their firebending training. The Avatar throws some punches as Zuko watches him with his arms crossed.

"More ferocious!" Zuko barks. "Imagine striking through your opponent's heart!"

Aang stops firebending and turns to Zuko while growling in irritant. "I'm trying," he groans.

"Then let me hear you roar like a tigerdillo!" Aang sighs before giving a light roar as fire bursts come out of his hands and mouth. "That sounded pathetic! I said roar," Zuko yells at the boy.

Aang roars even louder, as three bursts of fire come out of his hands and mouth. Momo runs and hides behind Zuko's leg in fear. Zuko nods approvingly, finally content with the Avatar.

Katara walks up to the boys, holding up two watermelons. "Who wants a nice cool glass of watermelon juice?" She asks.

Brightens up upon hearing this, Aang runs to his friend. 

Zuko grabs Aang by the shirt of his robes. "Hey" Aang cries as he keeps trying to run off, but it is useless against the Fire Prince's strength. 

"Your lesson's not over yet! Get back here!" Zuko says.

From behind the prince, he hears a scoff. When he turns around he sees Sokka lounging on the steps to the house. "Come on, Zuko. Just take a break. What's the big deal?"

He lets Aang go. "Fine!" Aang happily runs off and takes a watermelon. "If you want to lounge around like a bunch of snail sloths all day, then go ahead!" Then he walks away to find Hana who took Juno flying a little while ago.

"Maybe Zuko's right. Sitting around the house has made us pretty lazy. But I know-" Sokka lays his watermelon aside and stands up slowly. "-just the thing to change all that." He takes off his robe, revealing a bathing suit.

The ocean waves break as Sokka dives into the water. He surfaces, seaweed hanging off him, and he blows water from his mouth. He grins goofily. Katara uses waterbending to create an ice surfboard and surfs on the water. Suki watches Sokka grab some seaweed and bring it to an area. He takes two buckets and fills them with water. Aang sticks the last piece of wood on a life-sized sand sculpture of Appa, finishing the last horn.

"Check out my Appa sand sculpture." Appa roars at the sculpture.

Toph checks over the boy's work. "Not bad, bald, but I've been working on my sandbending." She cracks her fingers. "You're gonna love this."

Toph cracks her knuckles and uses sandbending to create a sand replica of the city of Ba Sing Se. Aang peers down at the replica's details.

"Whoa! Wow, you've even made a little Earth King and Bosco."

Sokka barely looks over at the competition as he focuses all his attention on his sand sculpture. When he finally stands back, he reveals a grotesque looking sculpture with seaweed for hair, a starfish for a nose, and rocks and shells for eyes and mouth.

"Is that a blubbering blob monster?" Aang genuinely asks.

The boy's face goes red. "No, it's Suki!"

Aang looks at him with an animated shocked and surprised look until he and Toph both laugh hysterically.

The earthbender pats Suki on the shoulder. "Suki, we'll all understand if you break up with him over this."

"I think it's sweet," Suki says as her boyfriend runs and slides up next to her before sinking down his knees. He grabs Suki by her shoulders and kisses her on the cheek.

Aang pinches his face as he continues looking over the sculpture. "But it doesn't even look like- Aah!"

He is cut off by a fire blast that destroys the sculpture. He looks in the direction of the attack to see Zuko. The prince chases after Aang, blasting at him with fire. Aang jumps over the sand replica of Ba Sing Se and Zuko destroys the replica. Aang hides behind his Appa sand sculpture.

Aang peeks out from behind the sculpture fearfully. "What are you doing?"

"Teaching you a lesson!" Zuko shouts. He destroys Aang's Appa sculpture with a fire blast. Aang jumps back up to the house. Zuko goes after him, continually firing blasts at him. Katara comes back to the shore and sees the destruction."What happened?" She asks.

Her brother peers up as he tries to fix his Suki sculpture. "Zuko's gone crazy! I made a sand sculpture of Suki and he destroyed it!" He pauses a moment, going back to the sand before lifting his head up again. "Oh, and he's attacking Aang."

Katara, Toph, and Suki run after them, the latter dragging her boyfriends along behind them. The prince chases the Avatar onto a tree and sends another fire blast at him, forcing him to jump onto the roof of the beach house. Zuko subsequently climbs onto the roof with him.

"Get a grip before I blast you off this roof!" He screams.

"Go ahead and do it!" Aang screams back.

Zuko blasts fire at him. Aang slides down the roof and into the house. He hides behind a dresser. The Fire Prince breaks the roof with firebending and drops into the room. He takes a fighting stance and looks around for Aang. Aang kicks the dresser at him, but Zuko destroys it. Aang runs into the hall. Zuko augments fire into the hallway. Aang clears his part of the hallway from the fire using airbending. Aang airbends the Fire Prince out of the house.

"Enough!" A voice above them yells along with a loud roar, better than the Avatar could ever wish to have. Hana lands Juno right between the two boys, her tail landing in front of the prince while she bares her teeth at the Avatar. 

She jumps off Juno to drag the Avatar away from the sharp teeth of her dragon as the waterbender storms towards Zuko. "What's wrong with you?" She grabs him by the robes. "You could have hurt Aang!"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with all of you? How can you sit around having beach parties when Sozin's Comet is only three days away?" He asks. "Why are you all looking at me like I'm crazy?"

"About Sozin's Comet," Aang says as he looks at his friends "I was actually gonna wait to fight the Fire Lord until after it came." 

"Wait, what?" Hana asks, pushing the Avatar away from her.

Zuko also looks a little taken aback. "After? He asks.

"I'm not ready. I need more time to master firebending," Aang responds.

"And frankly, your earthbending could still use some work too," Toph adds and Aang grimaces from her remarks.

Zuko jumps over Juno's tail, storming to the Avatar who hides behind Katara. "So, you all knew Aang was going to wait except us?" Zuko asks, pointing at himself and Hana.

"It's kind of hard to tell you guys when you just run off to be alone any moment you can," Sokka says. "And honestly, if Aang tries to fight the Fire Lord now, he's going to lose. No offense."

"The whole point of fighting the Fire Lord before the Comet was to stop the Fire Nation from winning the War, but they pretty much won the War when they took Ba Sing Se," Katara explains. "Things can't get any worse."

"You're wrong," Zuko says, his hands shaking at his sides. "It's about to get worse than you can even imagine. The day before the eclipse, my father asked me to attend an important war meeting. It was what I dreamed about for so many years. My father had finally accepted me back. But the things I've heard made me doubt if I really wanted to be there.

"He said they needed to destroy the Earth Kingdom people's hope. He is going to rain fire over the Earth Kingdom land, a fire that will destroy everything. I wanted to speak out against this horrifying plan, but I'm ashamed to say I didn't. My whole life, I struggled to gain my father's love and acceptance, but once I had it, I realized I'd lost myself getting there. I'd forgotten who I was."

"If you don't stop this war during the comet," Hana adds, taking a step closer to the others. "It'll be over for everyone. There will be no winning if it's not in three days."

Katara sinks to her knees. "I can't believe this."

"I always knew the Fire Lord was a bad guy, but his plan is just pure evil," Sokka mutters.

"What am I gonna do?" Aang askes.

Zuko moves around the others towards the Avatar. "I know you're scared, and I know you're not ready to save the world, but just like Hana said if you don't defeat the Fire Lord before the comet comes, there won't be a world to save anymore."

"Why didn't you tell me about your dad's crazy plan sooner?" Aang asks and walks away.

"I didn't think I had to. I assumed you were still going to fight him before the comet. No one told me you decided to wait," Zuko responds, defensively.

Aang holds his head in both of his hands. "This is bad," he muttered as he sinks down to his knees "This is really, really bad."

"Aang, you don't have to do this alone," Katara says as she crawls towards Aang and draps herself over his shaking form. Everyone else stands around the two.

"Yeah, if we all fight the Fire Lord together, we got a shot at taking him down," Toph says.

"All right! Team Avatar is back. Air-" Sokka cheers and points Aang "-Water-" to Katara "-Earth-" to Toph "-Fire-" to Zuko and Hana. Then he pats Suki on the shoulder. "Fan and sword!"

"Fighting the Fire Lord is going to be the hardest thing we've ever done together, but I wouldn't want to do it any other way," Aang says. They all get pulled into a hug except for Zuko who is still standing apart from the group.

"Get over here, Your Highness," Hana says to Zuko as she holds an arm out to him. "Being part of the group also means being part of group hugs."

Katara giggles. "She got that from us."

* * *

They find themselves at the beach house courtyard for another lesson not too long afterwards. This time Zuko's teaching Aang how to redirect lightning. Katara and Hana watch them under the pavilion to make sure no more fights break out. "There's one technique you need to know before facing my father - how to redirect lightning. If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it," Zuko says as he uses his fingers to show how the energy should flow through the body. "You turn your opponents' energy against them."

"That's like waterbending," Aang says as he joins Zuko in practicing the lightning redirection form.

"Exactly," Zuko says. "My uncle invented this technique himself by studying waterbenders."

"So, have you ever redirected lightning before?" Aang asks the prince. 

Without any hesitation or hint of tension, Zuko says, "Once, against my father." 

"What did it feel like?" Aang asks.

Zuko stops practicing, his arms collapsing to his side. "Exhilarating," he murmurs "But terrifying. You feel so powerful holding that much energy in your body, but you know if you make the wrong move, it is over."

Aang chuckles. "Well, not  _ over _ over. I mean there's always Katara and a little Spirit Water action," he says and turns to Katara. "Am I right?"

"Actually, I used it all up after Azula shot you," Katara says.

Now it's Aang's turn to collapse under the stress and pressure. Without the healing water, if he gets hit with lightning again that'll be it. No coming back.

"You'll have to take the Fire Lord's life before he takes yours," Zuko says.

"Yeah, I'll just do that," Aang mutters. 

* * *

"Gather round, Team Avatar," Sokka says as he put a carved melon on a draped mannequin. "In order to take out the Fire Lord - or in this case, the Melon Lord - our timing has to be perfect." He kneels down on the ground and uses a stick to draw a line heading toward the Melon Lord symbol. "First, Suki and I will draw his fire. Then, Katara and Zuko charge in with some liquified hot offense, and while the Melon Lord is distracted, Aang swoops in... and  _ bam _ !" He destroys the Melon Lord symbol with the line ."He delivers the final blow."

"Uh..." Toph says, tapping her foot and pointing to Hana. "What about us?"

"For now, you two will be the Melon Lord's forces," Sokka says.

"So are you telling me we get to chuck flaming rocks at all of you?" Han asks, holding back the smile that's slowly spreading on her face.

Sokka nods. "Whatever makes the training feel more realistic."

Toph rubs her hands together. "You'll regret making us the Melon Lord, boomerang brain," Toph says with an evil grin.

Soon, the two girls are surrounded by boulders coated in grease. Hana begins lighting the rocks on fire, only using a small flame on the tip of her finger to engulf the projectiles in flames. Toph laughs maniacally when she feels the heat.

Katara and Sokka look at Aang as he signals to the others to start moving. Sokka and Suki run towards the Melon Lord, or Lords in this case, but become confronted by stone Fire Nation soldiers, who suddenly rises out of the ground. Hana smirks at Toph who can't stop giggling.

Sokka cuts one stone soldier in half and Suki kicks down another one. They keep running, but a large burning rock boulder falls out of the sky. Suki jumps over the boulder. Sokka finds himself falling down just a few inches away from the flaming boulder and jumps up.

"Hana, Toph; watch it!" Sokka shouts.

"We are not Hana and Toph," Toph laughs in a deeper voice than usual. "We are the Melon Lord!"

Hana lights another boulder on fire and gives it to the earthbender to send it through the air at Zuko and Katara. They run around the boulder only to become surrounded by a circle of stone Fire Nation soldiers, which they quickly destroy. But they aren't ready for the fire that Juno rains on them after Hana snaps her fingers.

"Now, Aang!" Sokka shouts.

Aang jumps, prepared to strike the Melon Lord with his glider staff. He looks at the Melon Lord and changes expressions from anger to uncertainty. When he lands, he stops his attack just before smashing the Melon Lord. He backs away.

"What are you waiting for? Take him out!" Zuko yells.

"I can't," Aang says as he shakes his head.

Sokka walks up to the Avatar. "What's wrong with you? If this was the real deal, you'd be shot full of lightning right now."

"I'm sorry, but it just didn't feel right. I didn't feel like myself," Aang tries to explain.

Sokka takes out his sword. Aang winces as he hears the squishing sounds of a melon being destroyed. "There, that's how it's done."

He cleans off his sword and walks away from the group. Hana sneaks away from them to go after the boy. "Sokka, wait."

"What is it, Hana?" He asks in a voice that she had never heard from him before.

She takes a step back away from him. "During the invasion, it's not going to be like that, right?" She swallows a lump in her throat. "We're not just going to send Zuko in alone, are we?"

Sokka shakes his head and for a moment Hana's heart lightens. That is until he speaks. "Katara's going with him but he told me he doesn't want you going with him."

He walks away from her after that, leaving Hana fighting for breath and looking for the pieces of her heart.

* * *

Later that night, Team Avatar shares a meal outside. Aang faces away from the rest of the group. The firebenders lean against each other, Hana trying to figure out how to bring up the invasion of Zuko when Katara walks back to them. "I have a surprise for everyone," she says, holding a scroll.

"I knew it! You did have a secret thing with Haru," Toph says, smiling while the others try to understand what exactly she said.

"Uh, no," Katara says. "I was looking for cooking pots in the attic, and I found this!" She unravels the scroll showing a painting of a happy, dark-haired baby playing at the beach. "Look at baby Zuko. Isn't he cute?"

Everybody except Zuko and Hana laugh. "Oh, lighten up. I'm just teasing." Katara says to the prince.

"That's not me. It's my father," Zuko says. Katara stills immediately, then turns the scroll around to look at it once more.

"But he looks so sweet and innocent," Sokka says.

"Well, that sweet little kid grew up to be a monster, and the worst father in the history of fathers," Zuko says.

"But he's still a human being," Aang says.

Hana frowns, turning to the Avatar. "You're going to defend him? A man who's killed hundreds, maybe even thousands."

"No, I agree with Zuko," Aang says as he stands up. "Fire Lord Ozai is a horrible person, and the world would probably be better off without him, but there's got to be another way."

"Like what?" Zuko asks, relaxing back into Hana.

"I don't know," Aang says. "Maybe we can make some big pots of glue, and then I can use gluebending to stick his arms and legs together so he can't bend anymore."

"Yeah, then you can show him his baby pictures, and all those happy memories will make him good again," Hana says as sarcastically as she can.

"Do you really think that would work?" Aang asks, a light shining in his eyes.

"N-no," Hana says, honestly a little shocked that he'd take that option so easily.

He sighs as he paces back and forth. "I just... this goes against everything I learned from the monks. I can't just go around wiping out people I don't like."

"Sure you can. You're the Avatar. If it's in the name of keeping balance, I'm pretty sure the universe will forgive you," Sokka says, hopelessly trying to make the murder of man not sounds as bad as it is.

Aang turns back to Sokka. "This isn't a joke, Sokka! None of you understand the position I'm in."

"Aang, we do understand. It's just-" Katara begins but Aang interrupts her.

"Just what, Katara?" He asks. "What?"

"We're trying to help!" Katara says.

"Then, when you figure out a way for me to beat the Fire Lord without taking his life, I'd love to hear it!" Aang shouts and walks away from the circle.

"Aang, don't walk away from this," Katara says as he walks towards Aang but Hana puts a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Let him go," she says. "He needs time to sort it out by himself."

* * *

Outside the house, the fire in the firepit has burned down low and sullen, and the quiet crackle is the only sound Hana can hear. She doesn't know how many of the others are actually asleep, though. In just two more days, they'd go their separate ways for the invasion of the Fire Nation and Aang's would (hopefully) defeat Fire Lord Ozai. Zuko has trained Hana well, but the fight isn't what's on her mind. No, it isn't the fighting keeping her up. A lump formed in her throat as she remembers Sokka's words.

She'd have to let Zuko fight Azula alone.

She knows this. In the back of her mind, she's always known this. It's Zuko's rightful place to be Fire Lord, to bring peace to a new world. Even with the Mark of the Dragon painted into her skin and Juno resting in the woods right next to her. She knows it was always going to be him. She just wishes he didn't want to do it alone.

She lies down in the grass, rolling over onto her side and sighs. She clears her mind only thinking of the lapping waves of the ocean until she hears a crashing sound, a very loud curse, then, a wave of fire. 

Zuko.

Hana rolls to her feet. She whispers his name but stops herself when she sees him. He's hunched over and breathing hard. Sweat drips off of his body and he racks his hands through his hair. "Are you okay?" She whispers.

He mutters something under his breath, but when he turns to her, his face is calm, if a little sullen. "Fine. Go to bed, Hana."

"Don't lie to me," she murmurs, and comes to sit beside him. He restarts the fire, resting his head on his knees that he's pulled up towards his chest.

"What's wrong, Zuko?"

He didn't answer for a while, just pokes at the fire and watches the sparks burst into the sky. "It'll never be enough," he finally says. Hana listens to the sounds of night, waiting for the prince to elaborate, but he never does.

"What won't be enough?" She prompts.

"Me," he groans. Hana can see that he's trying to keep an emotion at bay but it's a losing battle on his face. "I'm not. I wasn't enough for my father and no matter how much I do to help the Avatar, it'll never repair the harm I did as his enemy."

She says nothing for a bit, her heart sinking because while she knows how great he truly is, it never seems like Zuko does. It didn't get through to him in Ba Sing Se, and it's not getting to him here either. No matter how many times she tells him. Still, that doesn't mean she can't try again. She shifts to face him better.

"Oh, Zuko," she says, taking his hand. "Okay, yeah, you did some bad stuff. Who hasn't? You're not perfect, but you're trying. That's all anyone can do, their best."

He swallows so hard that Hana can see the movement in this throat. "It doesn't matter what you say." His voice is rough, harsher than he means it to be. "You don't know how hard this is for me. I betrayed my uncle, and my father -"

"Your father's a lousy sack of dead fish," she interrupts. Usually she tries not to do that, but it always makes her so angry when he talks about the Fire Lord. All that talk about wanting to regain his honor - in the end all he wanted was his father's love, he made that known to her and the others during his short time with them, and that monster couldn't even give him that. "No offense, but he challenged his own son to a duel. He burned you, Zuko. A good father doesn't do that."

Zuko makes a strangled sound in his throat; he's starting to learn that, but new knowledge hurts sometimes. His shoulders hunch inward, and Hana's heart bleeds for him. She takes her free hand and brings it to his shoulder. "You're not a bad person, Zuko. I've forgiven you for everything. And if I can do that, I bet you they all can too. And what happened with your dad? That is not your fault."

He jerks away, muscles tensing. "Not my fault? I should've -"

"It wasn't your fault," she says firmly. "Not in a million years will it be your fault. No one, absolutely no one will blame you for any of this."

He squeezes his eyes shut, but then lets his shoulders slump down.

"I-" He chokes off, and runs a hand through his hair. "I know that. In my head, I mean. I'm trying to really know it, but it hasn't exactly sunk in."

"And that's okay," she tells him. "I know what you mean, but if you keep telling yourself what you know in your head, eventually your heart will catch up."

He drops his head in his hands and sighs. "Thank you."

She grins. It's not often anyone gets a thanks from the Fire Prince, not even Hana. "No problem. That's what I'm here for."

He glances at her out the corner of his scarred eye. "You're really good at this, y'know that?"

She shrugs. "Thanks. Your uncle did teach me a thing or two in Ba Sing Se." She pauses, letting her head rest on his shoulder. She wants these last few moments they had together last. When Zuko doesn't say anything else, Hana lifts her head to meet his eyes. What she doesn't expect is for the tip of her nose to skim his cheek and for his mouth to be a breath away from hers.

"I should-" she whispers but she can't find it in her to finish her sentence. Zuko's breath steals them from her. "I should go back," she finally gets out but even after she says it, she stays perfectly still. Everything inside of her is screaming to go, to walk away, to sleep, but one voice that shouldn't even be able to be heard amidst all the chaos tells her to stay, tells her to give in.

"Don't leave," he whispers. "Please."

She breathes his name but it gets lost in the wind. Neither says anything else, looking from eyes to mouth and back again. Her heartbeat is racing in her chest and all of a sudden she's back in Ba Sing Se. Back at the lake where she gave him her heart last time. Except this time it's not a lake, it's an ocean. This time there is no uncertainty of what's to come. This time, Hana knows what she's doing.

The prince moves towards her, never taking his eyes from hers, and comes closer, closer, closer to her. He gives her all the time in the world to move away.

She doesn't.

"Can I kiss you?" Zuko asks and Hana nods once, closing her eyes as she does. Softly, he brushes his lips against hers and something familiar sparks in her chest. He tastes like honey. You'd never think the Prince of the Fire Nation would taste like something so sweet. She finds herself getting stuck. She wants to taste more as he breaks away, and doesn't say a thing. His eyes meet hers once again, asking their wordless question. When he speaks, his voice is husky. "If we win?"

"When we win," she says fiercely. Never before had she meant something more than now. She grabs his hand and leads him back to her house, falling asleep with her head on his chest and his arm draped over her waist.

_ Soon, _ she tells herself.  _ Soon. _

* * *

It's the best night of sleep, the firebenders have had in awhile. No nightmares, no interruption. Just pure, unadulterated, listless sleep. Appa was eating some hay while Sokka sat on his saddle "Okay, that's everything." he said.

"No, it's not. Where's Aang?" Toph asked. The group runs to the beach house.

"Aang?" Zuko shouts. "Aang?"

"Come on, lazy bones, let's go!" Toph calls for him. Sokka, Suki and Katara run to check one side of the house. Zuko, Hana and Toph run to check the other side. Zuko and Toph do not locate the Avatar. Hana checks the porch, but instead of Aang she spots Aang's staff.

Zuko walks onto the porch with Toph. "Aang's not in the house. Let's check the beach."

When they arrive at the beach, Sokka sees some footprints "Look, there's his footprints," he says. "The trail ends here."

"So, he went for a midnight swim and never came back?" Suki asks.

"Maybe he was captured?" Katara voices.

"I don't think so," Hana says as she examines the footprints. "There's no sign of a struggle."

"I bet he ran away again," Toph says.

Sokka shakes his head. "No. He left behind his glider and Appa."

"Then what do you think happened to him, oh sleuthy one?" Toph asks.

"It's pretty obvious. Aang mysteriously disappears before an important battle? He's definitely on a Spirit World journey," Sokka explains.

"But if he was, wouldn't his body still be here?" Zuko asks.

Sokka looks away. "Oh, yeah. Forgot about that."

"Then he's got to be somewhere on Ember Island. Let's split up and look for him." Katara says. Toph latches onto Zuko's arm. Hana has to press her lips together to not laugh at the scene.

"I'm going with Zuko!" Toph says. Sokka, Suki and Katara stare at her. "What?! Everyone else went on a life-changing field trip with Zuko. Now it's my turn."

"You're very popular amongst earthbender girls, Your Highness." Hana says. Zuko blushes more, Toph punches Hana's shoulder. "Hey, I was just joking! He's much more popular with one very special firebender girl."

* * *

Exhausted by their fruitless search, the group sits on the beach house stairs dejected and tired. Sokka lands Appa below the stairs. "Judging by the looks on your faces, I'm guessing you guys didn't find Aang either," he says as he jumps off Appa.

"No. It's like he just... disappeared." Zuko said.

"Hey, wait a minute. Has anyone noticed that Momo is missing, too?" Toph asks.

Sokka turns back to Appa "Oh no! I knew it was only a matter of time! Appa ate Momo!" He says as he lifts up Appa's mouth. "Momo, I'm coming for you, buddy!"

"Sokka, Appa didn't eat Momo. He's probably with Aang," Katara says.

"That's just what Appa wants you to think," Sokka says as he climbs into Appa's mouth.

"Get out of the bison's mouth, Sokka. We have a real problem here. Aang is nowhere to be found and the comet is only two days away," Hana grumbles as she pulls him out.

"What should we do?" Katara asks, her stare pointedly at the Fire Prince.

Zuko stands up. "Why are you all looking at me?"

"Well, you are kind of the expert on tracking Aang," Katara says, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, if anyone's got the experience hunting the Avatar, it's you," Toph agrees.

Zuko looks as if he wants to say something, defend himself, but Hana puts a hand on his arm and he shuts his mouth almost immediately. "Unfortunately, no one has tracked Aang as much as you have so you're gonna have to take that crown here."

And that was that. Soon they're flying on Appa along the coast led by Zuko who sits upon Juno, Hana wrapping herself around him. "Zuko, I don't wanna tell you how to do your job, but why are we heading towards the Earth Kingdom? There's no way Aang's there," she says.

"Just trust me," Zuko responds. 

* * *

It's been some time since Hana has been to the Earth Kingdom, but somehow when she thought it was going to be nerve-wrecking, it actually feels more like home than the Fire Nation was.

Zuko leads the group towards a building in the middle of a forested area. Plenty of people are already walking towards the door, where dancing music flows out from every opening. From inside the building, a fight breaks out and some of the patrons gasp in shock and cheer on the men.

"And the reason you've brought us to a seedy Earth Kingdom tavern is what now?" Katara asks.

Zuko points towards a woman who stands at the back of the tavern. She is in all black and wears heavy eye makeup. Her hair is up in a traditional Fire Nation style, but in place of a golden hairpin she wears a skull pin. To Hana, she looks like any other girl in the back of a shady Earth Kingdom tavern. That is until she turns to the side and she catches the sight of a swirling dark tattoo on her shoulder.

"June," Zuko says, as if that one word explains everything. June holds a drink and in the seconds that the group walked into the tavern, two men have already tried to make a run at her. She manages to knock the one man on the ground and dodge the others punches, all while keeping a hold on her drink. Hana has never been impressed with a person more in her life.

"Oh, yeah, that weird bounty hunter with the giant mole," Sokka says.

"Mole? Her skin is flawless," Suki says with the same sheen in her eyes that Hana has.

"No, she has this giant mole creature she rides around on," Sokka explains.

"The shirshu. It's the only animal that can track Aang's scent anywhere in the world," Zuko explains better. "It's the one shot we have of finding him."

The second man continues to try and land a punch on June, but she throws her drink into the air, pushes the man into the table before catching her drink and taking a sip. "I don't know who this June lady is, but I like her," Toph says.


	32. The Forgiveness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Are there others... like me?" Hana asks.
> 
> A slight smile graces the spirit's face. "There are and there aren't," she says. "Yes, there are other Keepers. You are the Fire Nation's Keeper of the Dragon's Scale. The Water Tribes' have the Keeper of the Koi's Light, the Earth Kingdom have the Keeper of the Badgermole's Roots, and the Air Nomads have the Keeper of the Flying Bison's Arrow.
> 
> "The four Nations look at and use their Keepers differently. For the Fire Nation, their Keepers were placed as highly as Fire Lords to lead and protect their people. The Air Nomads went as far as to tattoo their Keepers Mark on all their people to show their appreciation to their Keeper."

  
  


> "The brave men did not kill dragons. The brave men rode them."
> 
> \- Viserys Targaryen

  
  


"Hey, I remember her!" Sokka says to Zuko. "She helped you attack us!"

"Yeah," Zuko says, scratching the back of his neck. "Back in the good old days."

June approaches the bar, looking to get her drink refilled, when she notices the group. Specifically Zuko. "Oh great. It's Prince Pouty," June says. "Where's your creepy grandpa?"

"He's my uncle. And he's not here," Zuko responds.

"I see you worked things out with your girlfriend," June says. Hana straightens her back a bit, expecting the bounty hunter to look at her, but instead June turns to look at Katara. Zuko and Katara become flustered and embarrassed, looking at each other as they speak at the same time.

"I'm not his girlfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"I need your help finding the Avatar," Zuko answers, diverting the conversation away from... that.

"Hmmm. Doesn't sound too fun," June says as she sips her drink. 

Zuko takes a step closer, his jaw twitching with a tangle of anger he wants to let out. "Does the end of the world sound like more fun?"

As they leave the tavern, they catch Appa and Nyla, the shirshu, growling at each other. Before any outside interference needs to take place, Appa licks Nyla before they lay down. They both stand up as the gang and June walk towards them. To Hana's displeasure, she had to land Juno deep into the forest. The more time she spends with the dragon, the more she hates whenever they are separated. 

But nothing screams, 'I am the infamous and highly wanted Keeper of the Dragon's Scale, come slice off my head' like having a dragon in public.

June holds a piece of meat, shaking it in front of the shirshu. "Nyla," she calls as she throws the meat to her. She catches the meant in her mouth. Hana stomach churns as she watches June walk up to the mole and start petting it. "Who's my little, hmm, Snuffly-Wuffly?" she said. Nyla sticks her toxins-coated tongue out and she dodges it, forcing his mouth closed. "Whoa! Careful there," she says and turns to the group. "Okay. So who's got something with the Avatar's scent on it?"

Katara pulls out Aang's glider from the saddle. "I have Aang's staff," she says. June takes the staff from the waterbender, and holds it out in front of Nyla to smell. She begins to walk around in circles, trying to sniff the scent out somewhere else, before returning to June and continuing sniffing around the group. It wasn't long after that Nyla lay back down and covered her nose.

"Well, what does that mean?" Zuko asks.

"Means your friend's gone," June responds.

"We know he's gone," Toph says. "That's why we're trying to find him."

"No, I mean he's  _ gone _ gone," June explains, turning to face everyone else. "He doesn't exist."

Hana frowns. "What do you mean Aang doesn't exist?" She asked "Do you mean he's... dead?"

"Nope. We could find him if he were dead. Wow, it's a real head-scratcher. See ya," June says and starts climbing on top of Nyla.

"Seriously that's it," Han says, stepping in front of the mole. "That's as much as you're going to help. The whole world is in danger and you give up after one failure."

June curls her lip up. "Listen chick, there's nothing I can do if your friend doesn't-"

"Wait, I have another idea!" Zuko says to June. "There's only one other person in this world who can help us face the Fire Lord. I'll be right back with a smell sample."

A few moments later he comes back with a sandal. Everyone around him turns their noses up in disgust. A light blush brushes Zuko's cheeks. "You saved your uncle's sweaty sandal?" Sokka says as he pinches his nose even tighter.

Toph smiles. "I think it's kind of sweet."

Nyla sniffs the sandal. "Let's do this." June says, before running off with Nyla.

"Hey, wait up!" Hana calls after her. "You guys go on ahead. I'll grab Juno and then find you."

As Hana turns around, Zuko grabs her by the hand. "I'm going with her, so don't let June trick you or leave you behind," he says. "She's not getting paid until we get to where we need to go." 

Juno huffs and chirps as she sees Hana and Zuko come into the forest. Hana can't stop herself from running up to the dragon, petting and hugging her, desperate to find that familiar heat. "You didn't have to come with me you know," she says when she finally looks up. "I would have found my way back on my own."

Making his way up to the girl and her dragon, Zuko couldn't stop himself from bringing a hand up to her cheek. Ever since he got her back, that she allowed him back into her inner circle, he never wanted to let her go again. And right now that meant physically.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," he says. "You know, after June thought that Katara was my girlfriend and all."

Suddenly it's silent, dangerously silent. Zuko freezes, thinking he crossed the line again by bringing it up. Of course she'd want to forget about it, pass it by-

Then there's laughter. A loud, bright laughter that he hasn't heard since Ba Sing Sae and when he looks up Hana has tears in her eyes, but they aren't from sadness. Even Juno turns her head in curiosity at the sudden laughter coming from her keeper.

"Oh, Han, did I say something wrong? I didn't mean to-"

The prince isn't even able to finish his sentence before two strong pairs of hands grab him by the lapels of his robes and a soft pair of lips shut him up. She's as gentle as she is rough with the kiss, making sure that he gets everything she's trying to say but can't find the words for.

When they separate, Hana wraps her arms around his middle and drops her head onto his chest to listen to the rapid beat of his heart. "I'm not going to crumble because of the words of some clueless bounty hunter," she says, somehow louder than the pounding of his heart. "You're mine and nothing is going to change that ever again. Plus I'm a girl with a dragon, you can't scare me away that easily."

Zuko holds her tighter than he's ever held someone before in his life, hoping that her words will somehow travel through his skin and rattle his bones. 

"Alright lover boy," Hana says, reluctantly pulling herself out of his embrace. "We really do need to get going though or they'll all be suspicious."

Just as much as he hates to have her pull away, he loves watching her gracefully hoist herself up onto Juno as if she's been doing it her whole life and hold her hand out to him.

It doesn't take them long to find Nyla running up a hill as Appa flies behind them. Even with Juno flying up into the clouds, their friends are a welcome sight as they wave up at them.

Soon they approach the destroyed Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se. Hana's whole body tightens when the city comes into view, and even the reassuring touch from Zuko isn't enough to calm her down. Juno follows behind Appa as he lands. It's completely devoid of people, the exact opposite of the last time she arrived in Ba Sing Sae. Nyla starts digging at the wreckage of the wall as the group jumps off their respective transportation.

"We're going to Ba Sing Se?" Hana asks.

Turning to the prince, June gestures towards the wall. "Your uncle's somewhere beyond the wall. Nyla's getting twitchy so he can't be too far," June explains. "Good luck."

June pulls her reins and she and Nyla run off. Zuko stares after the departing shirshu. He turns back to the group with a tinge of annoyance on his face. Hana goes to reach out a hesitant hand to the prince, but he pulls away quickly before she can do so.

"It's been a long day," Zuko says. "Let's camp and start our search again at dawn."

* * *

It's a more difficult night than Hana thought it would be. As everyone else seemingly sleeps peacefully, even Juno as she breathes heated air on Hana's feet, the firebender can't seem to catch a break. She tosses and turns on the ground, ever so often kicking Juno on the nose, but the dragon barely seems to notice. When she can't take it anymore, she throws herself off the ground and paces along the shattered wall.

"What do you want from me," she whispers to the bricks. "You think I'm happy to be here. I'm not. I hate you just as much as you hate me. And in fact, I hate you more cause you've made me so mad I've resorted to screaming at a pile of rocks."

Hana's fuming, and then suddenly she's not. All of the anger that she once held seeps out of her and exhaustion takes hold of her. 

"Anger does not become you, Keeper."

Hana jumps at the voice behind her. At first, she thinks it's Katara coming up behind her but when she turns around, Hana doesn't see her friend. Instead the woman behind her sends chills down Hana's spine.

The woman who was murdered by the Fire Nation days before Hana was born was suddenly standing before her.

"Juno," Hana says. The name is barely a whisper on her tongue but it has enough resonance to even stop the spirit.

"She is not me," the spirit says. "She is who I used to be, in a different life. The me I am not is a collection of every Keeper who came before me and one day I will be every Keeper who came after me. One day, you will be the same. Singular, yet multiple. You live in a dangerous time, Keeper. I and many before me were not able to be the people we could have been because of a greedy man who wanted the power for himself. The Keepers existed to keep the balance, to make sure not one person or group had the grasp of the people.

"Just as the Avatar reminds the people of their unity as one by bending every element, the Keepers hold their power close to their bosom and only use it when their people are in danger. The Avatar can only be at one place at a time, therefore the Keepers are the first line of protection. And right now, your people are in danger just as much as the people of the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes."

There isn't anything Hana wants to do other than let the information Juno had just given her sit for a moment, but she knows neither of them have much time left.

"Are there others... like me?" Hana asks.

A slight smile graces the spirit's face. "There are and there aren't," she says. "Yes, there are other Keepers. You are the Fire Nation's Keeper of the Dragon's Scale. The Water Tribes' have the Keeper of the Koi's Light, the Earth Kingdom have the Keeper of the Badgermole's Roots, and the Air Nomads have the Keeper of the Flying Bison's Arrow.

"The four Nations look at and use their Keepers differently. For the Fire Nation, their Keepers were placed as highly as Fire Lords to lead and protect their people. The Air Nomads went as far as to tattoo their Keepers Mark on all their people to show their appreciation to their Keeper."

Hana barely hears anything as her head swims with the knowledge of others like her in the world. Others with the responsibility of a whole people thrust upon them at birth.

"There are others like me," she says. "Juno, what if I don't want to be the Fire Lord? What if I don't think that's the path for me?"

The spirit's smile is bright as the sun as she leans down to Hana. "You will be everything we could not be. You and your friends will pull the world back together, and when you do and you do not think that a position of power is where your heart takes you then it won't be. Only a Keeper knows where they are needed. Right now, you are on a mission with your friends to save your people, and there is another who cares for her people by healing them in a way only she could, and another who hides himself away and will only emerge when he is needed most."

"Oh, Juno could you please help me find the others. I want to speak with them. Get to know what their lives are like-"

Before Hana could finish, a ring of fire circles her group. Everyone is woken up. Hana turns back around to find Juno gone again, and bites her lip hard before taking off towards her friends. They all look up to see four figures appearing at the top of the rubble in white and blue uniforms.

Almost immediately, Juno launches up from the ground and lands next to the group and wraps her tail around them protectively. She tilts her head back as a large fire breathes to life in her mouth, but Hana whistles to the dragon to stop when she looks up to see four old men standing atop the cliff.

Whoever they were, they would hopefully be frightened off by the large dragon in front of them and wouldn't be burned alive.

"Well, look who's here!" One of the old men says and begins laughing. "Though the last time we met you didn't have the dragon. I think I would have remembered that."

"What's going on?" Toph asks. "We're surrounded by old people."

"Not just any old people," Katara says. She steps over Juno's tail and walks to a man with long gray hair and blue eyes. "These are great masters and friends of ours," she explains before bowing to him. "Pakku."

Hana runs down to her friends, Zuko reaching for her soon as he sees her. Even Juno backs off a little at the sight of her Keeper.

"The intimidation isn't necessary," Katara says. "They aren't going to harm us." She introduces the group to the four men; who included her grandfather Pakku, Aang's first firebending teacher Jeong Jeong, Sooka's swordmaster Piandao and the former king of the Earth Nation Bumi.

"We're all part of the same ancient secret society. A group that transcends the divisions of the four nations," Piandao explains.

"The Order of the White Lotus," Zuko says. The memory flashes in Hana's mind. Hot wind, hotter sand. The Pai Sho piece and the suffocating barrels they had to ride in on their way to Ba Sing Sae. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"That's the one," Bumi says.

"The White Lotus has always been about philosophy and beauty and truth. But about a month ago, a call went out that we were needed for something important," Jeong Jeong adds.

"It came from a Grand Lotus, your uncle," Pakku says. to Zuko. "Iroh of the Fire Nation."

Zuko doesn't try to hold back his smile.

"Well, that's who we're looking for," Toph says.

"Then we'll take you to him," Piandao says.

Bumi appears behind Piandao and Jeong Jeong and pushes them out of the way. "Wait! Someone's missing from your group. Someone very important," he says. "Where's Momo?"

Sokka leans away from Bumi. "He's gone," he says. "And so is Aang."

"Oh well," Bumi says, patting Sokka on the chest, which causes him to almost fall backwards. "So long as they have each other, I'm sure we have nothing to worry about. Let's go!"

* * *

What Hana thought would be a short walk, turned out to be a very long and very difficult walk. Appa and Juno seemed to be having the best time flying in the sky though, and the sight keeps them all walking as long as they can.

Sokka takes up a spot next to the former Earth King. "So Bumi, how did you end up escaping your imprisonment in Omashu?"

"Escape? I didn't escape, everybody else escaped," Bumi says. He throws his arms into the air. before continuing. "There I was, back in Omashu, waiting for  _ just _ the right moment. I didn't know what or when but I knew I'd know it when I knew it. An eclipse. That would do it."

The story of Bumi's escape and take back of Ba Sing Sae keeps the group enthralled and focused for the rest of the trip. Even the former king looks fully divulged into his story, like he has been waiting to tell the group this story ever since it happened.

Sukki pipes up as she skips up next to Sokka. "Wow, you took back your whole city all by yourself," she says.

Bumi shrugs. "So what about you guys? Did you do anything interesting on the day of the eclipse?" Hana and Zuko look at each other before Zuko turns his head away in a blush and Hana tilts her head up to look at her red dragon doing circles in the sky.

"Not really," Sokka concludes.

* * *

"Nervous?" Hana asks, stepping up next to Zuko in front of Iroh's tent.

He doesn't say anything. He doesn't even look at her. His eyes are trained on the ground, looking back and forth between the rubble and the start of his uncles tent. Hana cradles his cheek in her hand and turns his face for him to look at her.

"Hey," she says in a gentle voice. "Are you okay?"

Zuko pulls away from her. "No, I'm not okay. My uncle hates me, I know it. He loved me and supported me in every way he could and I still turned against him. How can I even face him? I mean- what if he doesn't forgive me, Hana?"

A sigh leaves Hana's mouth that somehow makes her chest tighter, and she takes a seat next to Zuko. "Zuko, are you sorry for what you did?"

"More sorry than I've been about anything in my entire life," Zuko says. "The things I've said and done to you and my uncle, I've never regretted more about anything."

"I've forgiven you and so will he. You're going to be fine. No matter what happens, I'm right out here," she smiles and leans her head against his shoulder, placing a kiss against his robes. "He will."

He smiles. "Thank you."

Then, he disappears into the tent. Hana gets as close to the tent as she can to listen to the two men. Nothing, no sound or movement comes from the tent as she waits for either of them to come out.

"You made quite an entrance during the eclipse, Keeper."

Hana looks up to see Jeong Jeong and Bumi standing in front of her. She scrambles to stand up, brushing off dirt. "It was just as shocking to you as it was to me," she says.

Both men don't say anything after her which makes her sweat a bit harder. "Look, I haven't know for long and-"

"Never in my life did I think I'd ever met a Keeper, much less the Keeper of the Dragon's Scale," Jeong Jeong says. So far, what Hana has seen from this master firebender has only been sharp looks and cold demeanor, but in this moment he looks at Hana with such warmth that she wants to cry. He takes Hana's hand in his and bows his head. "My life as well as the lives of the Fire Nation are in your hands, my girl."

Hana's hands shake as tears well up in her eyes. It wasn't until now she realizes that the only people she spoke about her title was her friends and family. She had never met a stranger of the Fire Nation who bowed to her as Jeong Jeong is doing now.

She takes a deep breath. "Thank you, but I don't think I deserve that credit. Aang, Zuko and the others are working just as hard as I am to stop this war."

"Yes, but many of them do not have the pressure of a large title as you do," Bumi interjects. "Aang is the Avatar who disappeared for a century, Zuko is the treasonous prince who abandoned his Nation, and you are the Keeper who's people were murdered because of the greed of two men."

Hana takes her hand back from Jeong Jeong and steps to Bumi. "If you knew what was happening, why didn't you say anything? It isn't your Nation, but it is your world and there were men, women, children dying at the hands of the Fire Nation. My parents were so terrified that they fled my home and they decided to never tell me what the marking on my back meant."

There is a beat of silence between them. "I made many mistakes during my time as King of the Earth Nation, but I will admit that was one of the biggest. Even our own Keeper went into hiding when he learned the fate of the Fire Nation Keepers. I had never one intention of hurting our Keeper, they help the Nations as much as the rulers do, but that greed frightened every Keeper, and for that I apologize."

Bumi bows in respect.

"Lift your head," Hana says. "There were many mistakes you and the previous generations of rulers made that led us to this war. I am not going to be the only one to finish what was started, but I will be the one to find the Keepers and bring them back from hiding and seclusion. I hope you will support me in this and support the new generation of rules and leaders."

A ghost of a smile crosses the men's faces. "Then I presume that you will not be taking up the crown when the war has been won," Jeong Jeong says.

Blush paints Hana's face as she turns away from the men and looks to the tent. "No, I will not. There is someone who I believe will bring honor back to the Nation that even I could not."

"Well then," Jeong Jeong says. He grabs Bumi by the shoulders and leads them away from the tent. "We will leave you to your waiting then."

As soon as both men have left her sight, Hana collapses back to the floor. Still without the voices of Jeong Jeong and Bumi, there hadn't been any changes from inside the tent. So Hana sits, and waits, and waits. It takes all night, and Hana almost falls asleep but eventually she hears Zuko's voice.

"Uncle, I know you must have mixed feelings about seeing me. But I want you to know... I am so, so sorry uncle." The sound of Zuko crying breaks Hana's heart and makes her want nothing more than to race into the tent and hold him tight. "I am so sorry and ashamed of what I did. I don't know how I can ever make it up to you, but I..."

His words get cut off. It's silent again for a few seconds before Zuko starts speaking again. "How can you forgive me so easily?! I thought you would be furious with me!"

"I was never angry with you. I was sad, because I was afraid you'd lost your way." Iroh's gentle voice floats out of the tent.

"I did lose my way," Zuko sighs, his tone is laced with such sadness. Hana digs her knuckles into the dirt.

"But you found it again! And you did it by yourself! And I'm so happy you found your way here," Iroh says. It sounds like they are crying.

"It wasn't that hard uncle. You have a pretty strong scent."

The two men laugh and finally Hana sticks her head through the tent's entrance, just watching for a moment as the two men embrace each other. Their faces are dripping with tears. "Is it okay for me to come in now?"

Zuko and Iroh turn to look at her and a smile blossoms on Iroh's face. "Hana," she says in a low voice, reaching out to embrace her.

"Iroh," Hana says, her own voice breaking up in teary joy. From Iroh's shoulder, Hana opens her eyes to look at Zuko, sitting by himself, and reaches out to him, letting him join the hug.

"My dear Hana," Iroh says as he pulls away from the two. "I'm glad you too found each other again."

"Oh believe me, it's not what I expected or even what I wanted," she says "But it's been a ride I never want to get off."

Iroh wipes the tears off of Hana's face. "And I'm sure the fruit was sweet," he says, smiling.

The easy smile that crosses Hana's face crumbles and she takes his hand in hers. "There's something else I need to tell you."

Iroh's calm demeanor is changed to confusion as Hana pulls back the opening of the tent and steps out, with Iroh and Zuko following behind her. A gasp is ripped from Iroh's throat when he sees the giant red dragon Hana is walking towards.

Juno leans down towards Hana and she reaches her hand out to stroke her nose. She turns back towards Iroh to see tears welling up in his eyes.

"Iroh," she says. "This is Juno."

* * *

"Uncle, you're the only person other than the Avatar who can possibly defeat the Father Lord." Zuko says. Everyone crowds around the campfire as they begin talking to Iroh.

"You mean the Fire Lord," Toph corrects Zuko.

"That's what I just said!" Zuko snaps, which causes Hana to place a hand on his back.

Iroh closes his eyes and leans back, thinking hard about how to discuss his brother with the group.

"We need you to come with us," Zuko says.

Iroh shakes his head. "No, Zuko, it won't turn out well," Iroh responds.

"You can beat him," Zuko insists, then gestures to the others. "And we'll be there to help."

"Even if I did defeat Ozai, and I don't know that I could, it would be the wrong way to end the war. History would see it as just more senseless violence, a brother killing a brother to grab power. The only way for this war to end peacefully is for the Avatar to defeat the Fire Lord," Iroh explains.

"And then... then you would come and take your rightful place on the throne?" Zuko asked.

"I thought it was going to be Hana," Sokka says around a mouthful of food. "Is that not what all that stuff on her back is about?"

Hana immediately raises a hand to stop him. "There is no way a girl with absolutely no diplomatic experience can take up a throne because she was born with some red squiggles on her back."

"She is right. Someone new must take the throne. An idealist with a pure heart, unquestionable honor and a supporter who'll stand by his side no matter what," Iroh says. "It has to be you, Prince Zuko."

Zuko briefly looks away. "Unquestionable honor? But I've made so many mistakes."

"Yes, you have," Iroh agrees. "You've struggled; you've suffered but you have always followed your own path. You restored your own honor, and only you can restore the honor of the Fire Nation."

"And you won't be alone. I'll be there with you," Hana says, making Zuko look at her. "Helping you when you need, and making sure that you'll remain on your path. I may not be equip to be the next Fire Lord, but I will always be your Keeper."

In the most confident expression that morning, Zuko nods his head and looks back to Iroh. "I'll try, Uncle."

"Well, what if Aang doesn't come back?" Toph asks.

"Sozin's Comet is arriving, and our destinies are upon us. Aang will face the Fire Lord," Iroh tells them. "When I was a boy, I had a vision that I would one day take Ba Sing Se. Only now do I see that my destiny is to take it back from the Fire Nation, so the Earth Kingdom can be free again."

"That's why you gathered the members of the White Lotus," Suki says.

Iroh nods. "Yes," he says, then turns to Zuko. "Zuko, you must return to the Fire Nation, so that when the Fire Lord falls, you can assume the throne and restore peace and order. But Azula will be there, waiting for you."

"I can handle Azula," Zuko says.

"Not alone!" Iroh says. "You'll need help."

"Yeah if you think you're going to be alone, you're funnier than I thought," Hana says as she holds his hand. "That or you really want to be dragon dinner."

"You two can put Azula in her place," Katara says. "Easily, if you ask me."

"I wouldn't say that," Hana says to Katara. "Because she's still the same Azula. She's full of surprises. And I think that's why we'll need you."

"It would be my pleasure," Katara says.

"So if any lightning accident happens, I don't know for the third time," Hana laughs. "I'm glad you'll be there to help."

Katara laughs as well. "Always."

"What about us?" Sokka asks. "What is our destiny today?"

"What do you think it is?" Iroh responds with a question.

"I think that, even though we don't know where Aang is, we need to do everything we can to stop the airship fleet." Sokka said.

"And that means when Aang does face the Fire Lord, we'll be right there if he needs us." Toph adds. 

Iroh smiles.

* * *

The morning of the invasion, Hana's heart would not keep quiet. 

She kept telling herself that she didn't make a mistake by kissing the prince, that she didn't want to wait until the war was over and make every rash decision regarding her relationship with him. But now that the war was upon them, all she could think was that if something happened to him, she would crumble. 

"Hana-"

"Zuko, there's a lot to be done. We have to pack the essentials and make sure we know where we're going-."

"Hey, hey. Why are you stressing out so much? It'll be us and Katara, a dream team. Nothing can happen to me or you while we're all together."

Hana can't bring herself to look at him as she chews in her lip.

"Look, I know we're about to go fight my sister. And she's really dangerous," Zuko says in a low voice. 

Hana nods. "I know, Zuko. Can I go? I have to grab something..."

"Hana, just wait." He puts his arm around her to keep her from leaving, and she looks up at him. Once again, she's trapped in his eyes. Slowly, he leans down and connects his lips to hers. She find herself almost kissing back, but she pulls away.

"Zuko, I-" Words escape her. She can't think of what to say. "I can't lose you."

"You won't." He places a soft kiss onto her forehead. Her cheek. Her nose. Her eyelid. Her lips. "Hana, I love you. I'm in love with you, there's no way that I could leave you now that you're mine again. Not even my sister could tear you from my grasp again."

Hana pauses for a moment before she reaches up, grabbing the back of his head, and pulls him down to her. She captures his lips in hers, feeling him take one sharp breath. He brings his hands down to her back, pulling her closer closer closer to him. She can't get close enough to his liking. Salty tears run down her face and into her mouth, making their kisses salty and wet. They part for only a moment to take a breath, but crash back into each other.

"I love you Zuko," Hana said between gasps of breath. "I love you, I'm in love with you, I adore you. Of course I do. How could I not?"

When they part, Hana sees that Zuko's also crying. She cradles his face in her hands, wiping away his tears as they fall. Zuko leans down to kiss her lips once more.

"Are you ready?" Hana whispers to him. Zuko nods his head and squeezes her hands.

"Always," he answers.

"I just have one request," Hana says which made Zuko pull back to look her in the eyes. "You're not allowed to die."

Zuko laughs and nods his head before kissing her again and again and again.


	33. The Final Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Is it the retirement you never thought you'd have?" She asks.
> 
> Iroh glances up at Hana, the wind from Juno flying above tousling her hair just slightly and the summer sun giving her cheeks a pink color, before looking at his nephew who is staring at her like she's the throne, crown and all the riches in the world.
> 
> "Never in a million years, my girl," he replies.

  
  


> "If the skies were able to dream, they would dream of dragons."
> 
> \- Ilona Andrews, _Fate's Edge_

  
  


"So if I'm going to be Fire Lord after the war is over," Zuko asks. "What are you going to do?"

"After I re-conquer Ba Sing Se, I'm going to re-conquer my tea shop, and I'm going to play Pai Sho every day," Iroh responds, flipping a Pai Sho piece and catching it as he speaks. 

Hana stares longingly at the two men. After the events that unfolded in Ba Sing Sae she never thought she'd see them all like this. Together, and relaxed (well as relaxed as one could be with a war looming overhead), and she can't help but smiling. "Is it the retirement you never thought you'd have?" She asks.

Iroh glances up at Hana, the wind from Juno flying above, tousling her hair just slightly and the summer sun giving her cheeks a pink color, before looking at his nephew who stares at her like she's the throne, crown and all the riches in the world.

"Never in a million years, my girl," he replies.

Iroh wraps Zuko in one last embrace, the prince relaxing into the touch before joining Hana and Katara on Juno's saddle. 

"Goodbye, Iroh," Hana says under the wind as Juno picks up off the ground and Zuko's gripe tightens around her waist.

"Goodbye, everyone. Today, destiny is our friend," Iroh says as he watches them disappear into the sky. "I know it."

The three seem to get more comfortable on the back of the dragon as Juno speeds through the orange colored sky. Hana turns over her shoulder and upon seeing his worried and somewhat anxious expression, she squeezes the hand that rests on her abdomen. "You don't worry, it'll be fine. You know we can take Azula," she says.

"It's not her I'm worried about. I'm worried about Aang. What if he doesn't have the guts to take out my father? What if he loses?" Zuko asks.

"Aang won't lose. He's gonna come back," Katara says for the first time since their take off. She isn't looking at them though, she's staring off into the horizon. "He has to."

* * *

The closer they get to the Fire Nation Kingdom, the color of the sky becomes redder. As horrible as the consequences the comet brings to their group, Hana can't help but think just how beautiful the day is because of it. That and she can't quite believe she'd never see anything like it for the rest of her life and she's spending it fighting her boyfriend's sister to stop a war.

There's also a tingling in her body that she is positive isn't because of the Fire Nation Prince clinging to her back. The comet is the one natural occurrence that amps up a firebender’s power and Hana's almost positive that it's that power entering her the closer the comet gets.

"You feel it too, don't you," Zuko says in her ear. "It's like I'm burning up."

Hana nods. "Yeah, but it's not only us who are feeling this. So are your father and sister."

"Are you now realizing how hard this battle could be?" Zuko asks.

She hesitates for a moment. Never before did she think they didn't have the chance to win this war but only now, feeling the true power of Sozin's comet, did she actually not know if they could pull it off.

"It's nothing we can't handle together," she says to him. "And by the end of today, you'll be the next Fire Lord."

Zuko's grip tightens around her waist, making Hana turn back to look at him. His face is pinched like he's holding something in. "Zuko, what-"

"Up there," Katara says. "It looks like it started already."

Down below them is the ceremonial plaza at the palace where each new Fire Lord is coronated, ducts of waters stream on both sides of the area where two individuals stand in the center. Even up this high, Hana can see Azula kneeling at the top of the plaza steps, wearing the Fire Lord robes and with her armor underneath. Behind her are several fire sages. The leader of the sages holds the Fire Lord diadem above Azula's head.

"By decree of Phoenix King Ozai, I now crown you Fire Lord..." The Fire Sage starts but trails off when his eyes lock onto the ferocious, red dragon descending onto the plaza.

Azula turns her head to look up at sage. "What are you waiting for? Do it!" She yells.

Juno's roar shakes the entire plaza around Azula and the sages, and she turns her head back around. The dragon descends and lands in the plaza's courtyard. Zuko jumps off Juno's back and picks up his head to glare at his sister.

"Sorry, but you're not gonna become Fire Lord today," Zuko's voice reverberates around the plaza, making him sound louder than he's ever been. At that moment, Hana couldn't imagine anyone else being the Fire Lord. "I am."

Azula hesitates for a moment before a maniacal laugh rips from her throat. The princess's eyes lock onto Hana as she slides down off Juno, taking the dragon's large face in her hands to hold her back. "You're hilarious."

"And you're going down," Zuko says as his posture straightens and makes him look larger and taller than he usually is.

The fire sage motions to crown Azula, but she raises her hand, signaling him to stop.

"Wait. You want to be Fire Lord? Fine. Let's settle this. Just you and me, brother. The showdown that was meant to be. Agni Kai!" Azula says.

"You're on," Zuko responds seriously. 

Hana releases Juno and marches up to Zuko, grabbing him by the sleeve of his robe. "What are you doing? She's trying to separate us cause she knows she can't take us all," Hana says.

Zuko reaches back, not taking his eyes off his sister, and takes Hana hand in his. "I know. But I can take her this time," he says.

"But even you admitted to Iroh that you would need help facing Azula," Hana says, gripping his hand tighter.

The prince takes one last look at his sister before turning to look at Hana's golden eyes. "There's something off about her, I can't explain it but she's slipping. And this way, no one else has to get hurt," he says.

"Zuko, are you sure?" She asks, taking another step closer to Zuko.

"Yes, now I need you two to move," he says.

Hana nods, turning to leave with Katara, when Zuko pulls her in and places a soft kiss on her lips. "Just in case," he says.

Before Zuko's grip loosens, Hana grabs him by the robes and pulls him down to her to return the kiss. "You will come back to me, Prince Zuko," she says before pushing away, grabbing Katara and growing the distance between them and the battle.

Red and blue flames dance across the palace grounds. Sozin's comet had arrived and the final battle had begun. Zuko kneels on the right end to Azula kneeling on the left end. He rises and turns around, the movement uncomfortably all too familiar to him, as his sister rises behind him. Azula removes the Fire Lord robes and drops them to the floor.

Hana stands on the side lines with Katara and watches Zuko and Azula ready for the fight. It takes everything in her power, and Katara's hand holding hers, to just stand there and not go to his side. She loves Zuko and he loves her. She had never felt that more than this moment right here.

She wished it had come sooner.

Juno's hot breath coats Hana's neck and back, and she reaches her free hand up to stroke the side of the dragon's face. "He'll be fine, girl," Hana says under her breath. "But we cannot interfere with family matters."

The corner of Azula's mouth quirks up. "I'm sorry it has to end this way, brother," she says.

"No, you're not," Zuko says as he gets into a familiar firebending stance.

Azula smiles and assumes an some-what awkward fighting stance to Hana's perspective. She spins and sends a sudden blast of blue fire towards Zuko. The prince brings his hands up and jumps forwards, bringing his arms down in front of him. He bends a flame in each hand and the two emerge. He sends the fire towards Azula, but before it can hit her, a wall of fire springs up in front of her. Blue collides with red, the brightness from both blinding everyone in the plaza for a moment. As the wall begins to die, Azula leaps up on a jet of fire and kicks her legs forwards, sending a wave of fire from her feet during each of her three spinning kicks.

Zuko punches a powerful blast of fire towards his sister. His stream of orange blending with the blast of blue fire. He continues shooting fire while being pushed back by the blue flames colliding with his. He turns his foot around in order to steady himself. The fire continues to stream from his fist.

Suddenly, Zuko and Azula stop their attacks. The scared and confused Azula turns to find that Zuko's strong attack had caused the plaza behind her to be smothered in flames. She leaps forwards with a blast of fire that she swings at Zuko. Just as he is about to be hit, Zuko thrusts his palms outwards to create a wall of fire that slices the blue flame in half. Azula crouches on the ground, heavily panting and gritting her teeth as her eyes narrow in determination.

A determined look flushes over Azula. Zuko opens his left fist, and with the other fist punches two large fireballs towards Azula, and the fire emerges to create one massive blast. The orange from the fire reflects in Azula's fear-filled eyes. She dodges using a jet of blue fire. She flies forwards into the air, using jets of fire from her feet and hands.

Zuko crouches with his arms outwards, blue and orange flames swirling around him. Azula's flying towards him as she swerves to the right to dodge Zuko's last blast. She shots fire at Zuko and circles him, a trail of blue fire coming from her feet. Zuko quickly defends himself by creating a shield of fire for protection. He tries to attack Azula, who continues to circle him, but she has the upper hand and is too fast for the prince.

Zuko stops firing at Azula, crouches, and begins spinning and kicking immense and powerful flames from his feet. Azula's flying forwards; when she sees the attack, she tries to stop, but it's too late. She falls and rolls forwards onto the ground. In pain, she picks herself up. She's hunched over, her hair undone and when she lifts her head, her brows are pinched together and she bares her teeth.

"No lighting today? What's the matter?" Zuko asks, angrily and somewhat mockingly as he assumes his lightning redirection stance. "Afraid I'll redirect it?"

"Oh, I'll show you lightning!" Azula roars and in that moment, she waves and moves her fingertips in order to generate lightning, but her stance is irregular and off what it should be.

She starts gathering the electricity around her. Zuko gets into position ready to bend it back at her, not noticing his sister give a quick glance to Hana. Azula shoots the lighting and it hurdles past Zuko and straight for Hana.

Everything seems to happen in slow motion. Zuko extends his finger out and absorbs the lightning. There is a blinding flash of light before Zuko leaps in mid air, absorbing the lightning coming from Azula, electricity surrounding the area. Zuko hits the ground, letting the lightning escape from his other arm. The enormous bolt of redirected lightning erupts into the sky above, lighting up the entire crater that the plaza sits in. Zuko lies on the ground, twitching as electricity surges through his body. He groans as he rolls onto his back, holding his chest. Katara, frightened and panicked, begins to run towards Zuko. 

Hana can't even comprehend what is going on as he falls to the ground. The only thing in her vision is a grimacing Zuko. The clothing around his chest has been burned away by the lightning, and a scar is already forming on his skin. Hana can't see Katara running towards Zuko. She doesn't notice as the waterbender is stopped by another lightning bolt that strikes the ground between them. She doesn't process Azula, hunched over and swaying from side to side, beginning to laugh maniacally. She certainly doesn't notice Azula running straight for her. 

Katara's voice sounds muddy as she yells her name and bends the water around her to fling Azula back.

What Hana does hear is herself scream and the roar of her mighty dragon. She begins to sprint towards Zuko, but Azula shoots at her with her blue flames. Katara tries to approach him to heal him, but Azula begins to fire at her. Then she creeps back over to Zuko, who is still alive but writhing in pain. Juno begins to dive for Azula but Hana holds up her hand to stop the creature, knowing that one strike from lighting could damage Juno irreparably.

"Leave him alone," Hana yells to Azula. Azula stills her attacks when she hears Hana's words. "Fight me."

"You want  _ me _ to challenge  _ you _ to Agni Kai," Azula questions.

"No," Hana yells, grabbing Katara's shoulder. "You'll fight us."

Azula laughs, a dark and seedy laugh. "I know you. They call you a Keeper." Azula silences herself in a moment of sanity. "There's a reason my father took out your kind. You're a nuisance who just loves to get in everyone's way for your own pleasure. There's no way you can get past me now, not without your dragon and my brother down."

Her blood boils, both from the comet and from seeing her hurt Zuko, and everything screams at her to let Juno at the princess. To take Azula down with her own bare hands and never let her get back up, but she settles down when she feels Katara's cool fingers on her skin.

"Many people died because of your family and I will not let this carnage continue," Hana yells, Katara right by her side. "I will take you down today, if not for me then for everyone who came before me who couldn't."

Azula laughs another dark laugh and begins throwing lightning bolts at the two of them. Katara grabs Hana around the waist and uses the water around them to move behind a set of pillars.

Juno roars once again and Hana sees the dark clouds forming above her. "Get out of here," Hana yells, not wanting to think about what she would do if she also lost her dragon. "Fly far away, hide, do anything else. Go!"

The dragon growls in disapproval for a moment, but after seeing the hardened look on Hana's face, she takes flight into the air.

From behind the pillar, Hana spots Azula gathering more electricity, but in her moment of weakness Hana sends a flamethrower-like wave of fire towards her.

"You're going to regret that!" Azula screams, laughing more lighting at the pillars. Katara and Hana jump from pillar to pillar trying to avoid the lighting.

"What are we going to do?" Katara asks Hana. She wracks her brain, trying to figure out a way, any way, to stop Azula. She spots a grate that is placed over a pool of water. She points it out of Katara.

"If I can get her over it, will you be able to figure out how to stop her?" Hana asks.

Katara nods, her face hardening. Then Hana steps out from behind the pillar to face Azula. "All alone? Don't worry, you'll be with your kind soon enough," Azula taunts her. Hana lifts her hand in the air and lowers it to point a finger at the fire princess. A confused look spreads over Azula's face. Then Hana lets out a sharp whistle and Azula only has seconds before Juno drops from the sky, passing right by Azula but sweeping out her legs from under her with her tail.

Hana launches herself at Azula, covering her hands and arms with fire. She takes a swing at Azula, but Azula blocks the attack with her own arms. Azula launches herself up from the floor and throws fireball after fireball at Hana. Hana lets the balls hit the concrete floor, creating smoke and debris to fill the air and making it hard to see.

Azula keeps throwing attacks wildly, letting them land anywhere they please. Hana drops to a crouch, and moves towards the sound of Azula's scream. When she feels she is close enough, Hana charges Azula, tackling her out of the smoke and right on top of the grate.

"What are you-" Azula says through gritted teeth, but she stops halfway through when she notices Katara. She screams once more and lifts her arm to throw more fire at Katara but instead Katara lifts up both of her hands and the water from the pool below surrounds Azula and freezes her on spot. Katara reaches in and, with a chain, ties Azula's hands behind her back.

Katara lets the water drop, Azula gasping for air. Hana steps forward until she is standing over Azula. "I win," she whispers.

Her thought process is broken when, in the silence, she hears another painful groan come from behind her. Hana's feet move before her brain could catch up as she runs over to Zuko. He lies on the broken cement floor and she sees a dark mark that the lighting left on his chest.

There are tears streaming down Hana's eyes by the time she reaches him.

"May I?" Katara asks and Hana nods, before she moves out of the way. She kneels down and places his head on her lap. He reaches up and grabs her hands. Katara takes some water out of the small canister from her hip and begins working on Zuko's wound. Each time the pain of the healing session got worse, Zuko squeezes Hana's hands and pushes his head down in her lap. It feels like years before Katara lifts up and bends the water back into her canister.

"Is he going to be okay?" Hana asks, tears still dripping down her face.

Katara nods. "He'll be in a lot of pain, but this isn't going to kill him."

"Thank you, Katara," Hana mumbles. Zuko sits up slowly and looks from Katara to Hana.

"Zuko," Hana whispers through her tears. "Zuko, I thought you were going to..." She breaks into tears again, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso, momentarily forgetting his injury, but he bares the pain for the moment to be in her arms. "I thought I was going to lose you." 

Zuko loosens her grip around his body and looks her in the eyes. He reaches a hand up to wipe a tear from her cheek.

"You said I wasn't allowed to die, " he says after a moment, causing her to laugh slightly through her tears. Hana leans in and captures his lips with hers. It's a gentle, sweet kiss that she never wants to end.

"You idiot," Hana says in a low voice, feeling tears spring into her eyes.

He smiles even though he clearly is in lots of pain. He lifted a hand to her cheek.

"I couldn't let you get hurt," he said.

"How dare you? Making me worry like that," she whispered and he grabbed the back of her head and chuckled. "I love you," she whispered against Zuko's lips. "I'm in love with you."

"I know," Zuko mumbled back, a small smile playing on his lips. "Now kiss me again."


	34. The New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Besides," Hana says. "We both know you can't do this alone. You'll need plenty of help. From Aang, and the rest of our friends. And possibly a certain... Fire Lady."
> 
> Zuko blushes. "Are you sure?" He cleared his throat. "That's a heavy title to carry, and you'll be tied down to the Fire Nation forever. By my side. If that's what you want, of course."
> 
> Hana shakes her head and laughs a loud laugh. "What do you think I've been doing this whole time? Playing around before I disappear into the mountains again. No, no my dearest prince. I think the correct thing to say is that you're already stuck with me."

  
  


> "So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their endings."
> 
> ― J. R. R. Tolkien, _The Hobbit_

  
  


Hana enters Zuko's chambers to find him struggling to put on his royal robes. She stands there for a moment, savoring the scene sprawled out before her. The sunlight coming in through the room and rippling off of the back muscles that aren't covered in bandages.

"Are you feeling any better?" She asks him.

"Hana," Zuko smiles, then winces when he turns to look at her.

Hana is at his side and shaking her head in a second. "You got struck by lightning, Zuko. You need to be careful." She slips his arm through the sleeve and smiles. "There." She straightens the tie out and takes a deep breath. When she looks up, her eyes meet his, and she immediately forgets everything she's going to say.

"I would do it all over again if it means I can stand here with you," Zuko gazes at Hana with so much emotion. She swears she can hear his heart beat frantically under her fingers. His body heat presses against her as she wraps her arms around his neck, and drinks in that feeling of excitement and comfort coming back to her. "You look amazing, by the way."

Hana steps away from the prince for a moment as she twirls around, showing him her whole ensemble. Her hair is tied up in a royal gold capulet, gold strands mixed in with her dark brown hair to make it shine when it catches the light. Her face was powered in fine makeup, and the small heels on her feet clicked with every step. But the true show-stopper was the long red and gold dress that covered her arms and brushed the floor, but had the back cut out of it to show off the scales painted on her back.

"That is what happens when a girl gets her ten hours of beauty sleep and then wakes up to a personal dresser," she says, falling back into his arms. She grazes her finger over the chest of his robes, knowing that the bandages covered a scar meant for her. "I mean, thank you."

Zuko takes another deep breath, breathing in the scent of juniper berries and sandalwood that she was covered in. "Are you excited?"

She pulls away from him and kneels down by the tea table, pouring out a cup of tea. "Of course, who wouldn't be? It's your coronation and the end of the war. It's everything we've been looking forward to."

Zuko hums and takes a deep breath before struggling to sit down beside her. "Hana," he says. She looks at him, his serene expression turning into a face trying to figure out the next words to say. "What are you going to do?"

Hana lets out a breathy laugh and let silent fall over them for an eternity, thoughts mixing together into a jumbled-up mess. "If you're talking about becoming the Fire Lord, you know I'm not going to take-" she says.

"No, I mean with everything else," he says. "I bet your family misses you and want to see you again. And I don't expect you to live in the palace with me. I mean, it's not like we're married." His last few words trailing off.

A small smile flies to her face as she leans over and kisses the prince's cheek. "Well, now that the war is over and my very kind and  _ very _ generous boyfriend has become the Fire Lord, I expect my family to be coming back home. To the Fire Nation. I mean, my parents both miss the place and will want to teach my sister everything that they missed about being a citizen of the Fire Nation, and perhaps about being firebenders."

Zuko smirks and places a kiss on the top of her head.

"Besides," Hana says. "We both know you can't do this alone. You'll need plenty of help. From Aang, and the rest of our friends. And possibly a certain... Fire Lady."

Zuko blushes. "Are you sure?" He cleared his throat. "That's a heavy title to carry, and you'll be tied down to the Fire Nation forever. By my side. If that's what you want, of course."

Hana shakes her head and laughs a loud laugh. "What do you think I've been doing this whole time? Playing around before I disappear into the mountains again. No, no my dearest prince. I think the correct thing to say is that you're already stuck with me."

Zuko leans down to capture Hana's lips in a searing kiss. He digs his fingers in her hair and she grips his waist, making sure to be careful of his lighting wound. They only break apart when the sound of a small roar fills the silent spaces of the dressing chambers. Zuko and Hana find themselves face-to-face with Juno. Her head barely being able to fit through the window.

"Of course," Hana laughs, resting her head on Zuko's chest and listening to his steady heartbeat. "The dragon does help."

He beams. "Alright then, get out, get out," he says as he stands again and reaches down a hand to her. "I've got a coronation to get ready for., and we both know that will never happen as long as you are in my line of sight."

With one last kiss, Hana is out the door and into the halls towards her future.

* * *

Hana waits for Zuko at the beginning of the balcony hall. She chews on her bottom lip, her anxieties welling up inside of her. What if the people of the Fire Nation don't like her? What if they hold the same prejudices of the previous Fire Lord? What if they are scared of her? What if she isn't good at being the Fire Lady? What if she royally fails at this whole thing?

Zuko makes his way towards Hana before she realizes his presence. He lifts her chin before pressing his lips to hers. Suddenly all of the bad thoughts in her head fly away and she hums in approval. He holds her to his chest and she can't help but listen to the joyous sound of his heart beat. The way it quickens when she pulls him closer to her. Zuko runs his fingers through the silky strands of hair that hung loose.

"You should wear your hair down more often," he hums. Hana grins, inhaling his scent of burnt brown sugar. She never understood how he always managed to smell so good, even when he was covered in dirt and sweat.

"You should stop being so attractive," she counters. She feels him chuckle as he pulls away to kiss her again.

"I should be telling you that," Zuko laughs. They look over the burnt city, knowing all their work in front of them to fix what had been broken but at the same time, she had never felt more whole in her life as she stands next to Zuko.

They walked towards the end of the hall hand in hand, approaching Aang.

Aang opens his eyes from his meditation when he hear the pair of feet coming toward him."It's hard to believe that only a year ago my soul purpose was to destroy you," Zuko hums. Aang stands up.

"And now we are friends," Aang states.

Zuko looks away, a slight blush on his cheeks. "Yeah, we are friends."

"I can't believe a year ago I was still frozen in a block of ice," Aang says. "The world's so different now."

"And it's gonna be even more different. We'll rebuild it together." Zuko lets go of Hana's hand and embraces the Avatar.

"Ready Zuko?" Hana takes his hand again and he nods, looking out toward the crowds of people. She follows Zuko and Aang out to the front of the crowd smiling and waving at Toph and the rest of their friends. Hana knows she had nothing to worry about when the crowds begins to cheer, and loudly, when they spot them.

Hana scans the crowds, pushing herself onto her tiptoes. The countless faces that she doesn't recognize goes on for what seems like miles. Young and old, men and women, happy and crying faces that look up to Hana and Zuko and Aang. All faces that she fought long and hard to makes sure they had a future. 

Everything was worth it as soon as she saw them all standing before them.

And as quickly as she felt overwhelmed in their presence, she calmed again when the faces of her family came into view. Standing beside Katara and Sokka's father and the old men of the Pai Sho, her parents cheered along with the rest of the crowd. And lifted up on their shoulders were Hana's two sisters, who squirmed and cried out their sister's name.

"Please, the real hero is the Avatar," Zuko says after holding his hand up. "Today, this war is finally over. I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help we can get it back on the right path, and begin a new era of love and peace." Hana grins at him and has to hold herself back from crying. He is everything she thought he would be and more.

Zuko backs away from the front of the stand, and gestures towards the front of the stage. She hesitates for a moment, but even her parents look as if they wanted to hear their daughter speak.

"Hello," Hana says when she stepped up. "You do not know me, but I know all of you. I fought for all of you. I am the daughter of two Fire Nation merchants who cared so much for their children, they did whatever they could to protect us. I am the sister of two young girls who never learned of their homeland because of the fear and hate surrounding it. I am the Keeper of the Dragon's Scale-" murmurs break out in the crowd "-a trait that gave my ancestors who carried the mark power beyond belief but were killed because of that. But today, I am not your enemy. I am your friend who knew our Nation could be better, do better, under the correct leadership." Hana looks back at Zuko. "And I believe we found him. You will get to know me because I am not going to leave your brothers and sister, mothers and father, children and grandparents unprotected any longer. My name is Hana, and I hope we can support each other to make the Fire Nation greater than it has ever been."

Hana steps back towards Zuko and lets out a deep breath. Silence fills the gaps of space between them and the crowd before their friends and parents clap and cheer for them, calling out their names and obligatory celebratory cheer. It doesn't take much longer before the rest of the crowd joins them.

Zuko and Hana kneel down to a still cheering crowd as they are crowned Fire Lord and Lady.

* * *

Zuko and Hana take as little time as they can with their friends and family before separating to walk down to the Fire Nation Prison Tower. 

Zuko takes a deep breath, and Hana squeezes his hand. "Are you sure you want to do this? It has only been a day, the wounds are still fresh."

"Which makes it the best time to do this," he says. "And I need answers. Answers only he can give me." He leans his forehead against hers. "Stay out of his sight, but stay near. You keep my clear head."

They enter Ozai's cell, Hana follows what Zuko asked of her and leans against the nearest wall to watch him walk ahead. 

"I should count myself lucky," Ozai says, the hint of a laugh in his voice. "The new Fire Lord has graced me with his presence in my lowly prison cell."

"You should count yourself lucky that the Avatar spared your life," Zuko says, his voice harder than Hana has ever heard it. "Banishing me was the best thing could have done for my life. It put me on the right path. Perhaps your time in here could do the same for you."

"Why are you really here?" Ozai asks.

"Because you're going to tell me something," Zuko says as he leans closer to his father. "Where is my mother?"

Hana stands up straight, making Zuko's eyes flick to her. Ozai smirks, and leans back against the cell wall. "You ought to bring me some tea, Zuko. We'll talk while sipping from steaming cups, much like you did with my traitorous brother. I'll give you advice on how to be a good Fire Lord. Wouldn't that be nice? Perhaps even the subject of your mother will come up."

Hana bit her lips, doing her best to keep her feet cemented to the floor and her lips shut. He knows nothing about being a good Fire Lord, and Zuko must know that. At least she hopes, her very presence would let him know that.

"I don't need this," Zuko says and turns back, his eyes locking with Hana's. She takes a step forward, wanting nothing but to pull him in her arms again.

"Do you think being the Fire Lord is easy?!" Ozai asks. "The throne comes with many pressures, and those pressures will change you! But if you can stand the heat, you'll become something more. Of all people in the world I have the wisdom you need, wisdom of experience! Be honest with yourself, Zuko, do you really believe you can handle it all on your own? You'll be back. And I'll be here, waiting for you, son."

Zuko keeps walking towards Hana, and wraps an arm around her shoulders as they walk out. She rubs her fingers along the bandage covering his side and whispers in his ear, hoping to overpower his father's voice.

"You are good, you are good, you are good."

* * *

Zuko is silent for the rest of their way back to the palace. Hana kindly brushes off servants and kings men who try to converse with him, telling them that they have had a long day and wish to retire to their room. 

As soon as the door to the main hall shuts, Zuko speaks again. "I knew he would not tell me," Zuko mutters. "He just confuses me!"

"Do not lose your hope, he cannot hide it forever," Hana says, grabbing his hair pin and pulling it away. His hair falls around his face and she brushes it back. "And I don't want you to upset yourself more than you have tonight."

Zuko looks at her as they turn a corner. "You're right."

"I always am," Hana says, then pauses. "Well, not always but most of the time."

Zuko smiles at her, pressing a kiss onto her lips before leading her into the large dining hall. 

"Finally! I'm starving!" Sokka cries as he holds his stomach.

Zuko takes a seat next to his friends, Hana leaning against the table next to him. "You could have eaten," he says. "It wasn't necessary to wait for us."

"It would be a great disrespect not to wait for the Fire Lord," Aang says with a smile. Their friends chat and reminisce around them during dinner, but Zuko sits in silence, his head spinning around the words his father said to him. He doesn't open up to the rest until the dishes are taken away and night begins to fall.

"So, what are you going to do?" Katara asks Zuko and Aang. "Have you got any ideas?"

"I think the very first thing we should do must be discussing the subject with the Earth King," Zuko responds.

Aang nods. "I agree. But first, I think we all deserve to rest for a while. At least for two or three days."

"He is absolutely right," Sokka agreed with Aang. "The world owes us this."

"What about visiting Iroh and staying in Ba Sing Se for two days?" Katara suggested.

A shiver runs through Hana's body at the city name. "I think I will rest here," Hana says. "I have not been in my homeland for quite a long time as a non-wanted citizen. Plus I haven't seen my family for quite sometime and I would like to be with them for a while before we get busy again."

"Hmmm that sounds nice," Toph says. "Can I stay with you Hana? I want to know what it is like to have a nice family that you want to be around."

Sokka groans. "And be around to catch her and Zuko making out, no thank you."

"Ah yeah, I guess you're right. That would be really gross to  _ see _ them making out." Toph smirks. Even without sight, she knew Sokka was turning bright red.

Hana laughs. "Of course, you can stay. My siblings would especially love you, and I bet my parents would be comfortable with an earthbender around." She turns to the others. "What are you guys gonna do?"

"We, the Kyoshi Warriors are going back to Kyoshi Island," Suki responds. "We have a village to look after. And it's pretty destroyed so we must help the people with that."

"And we'll stick with Aang." Katara said while pointing to herself and Sokka. "Wherever he goes, we'll follow. But I do suggest that that first stop be Ba Sing Sae and the Jasmine Dragon."

* * *

It's past midnight when Zuko and Hana reach the Fire Lord's, now Zuko's, chamber. Zuko turns back to Hana, taking hold of her hands and leaning against the wall next to the door. "Are you going to return to your family tonight?"

His eyes don't even meet hers when he asks. She smiles and leans over to him to place a kiss on his cheek. "They can wait one more night."

He smiles and reaches behind him to push the door to his room open. Hana follows him inside, watching Zuko as he reaches up to remove his crown.

"No, I want to," she says. She reaches up to tenderly remove the crown from his hairline. "You have exerted enough energy tonight, and though you put on a brave face I know you are still in pain."

She takes him by the ties on his robes and undoes them, sliding it off his shoulders and placing it on the dresser. She brushes his hair back, admiring his gleaming eyes in the dark. "Sit," she commands. He does so without a word as she hands him a drink. "And finish this fully."

"What is this?" He asks. Even in the dark, he can see the murky color of the liquid.

She pushes the glass to him. "A medicinal drink. I asked the medic to bring it to the room to help with the pain."

Zuko looks up at her and he tilts his head back to finish the drink. She glides around the room with a grace that makes even him believe that she had lived here for years. She pulls out spare robes and removes her own hair clip before organizing everything of hers on a separate table.

He sets the glass on the nightstand when he finishes. "Hana," he says, pulling her attention towards him. "Come here."

She smirks at him. "You'd love that, but first-" she tosses the fresh set of robes at him "-change. And I'll see you in a moment." She places a light kiss to his lips before disappearing into the water closet. When she returns her face is damp and a similar robe hangs off her shoulders and is wrapped around her waist.

She crawls into bed with him, pulling the covers up over them. They are silent for a moment, just enjoying the presence of each other and absolutely no one else. Zuko takes her in his arms and rubs circles in her back as she listens to the sound of his heart.

Hana leans her head up to look at Zuko. "I thought I'd feel different," she murmurs.

"Why would you feel different?" Zuko asks, pulling back to look at her fully.

"I don't know," Hana sighs. "But knowing that finally I totally belong to you feels nice and warm. I didn't think I'd feel this again." 

Zuko smiles down at her and presses a kiss to her forehead. "Probably doesn't feel different because I always belonged to you, even when you didn't belong to me. Even when you hated me my heart and soul belonged to you completely."

Hana says nothing but cuddles back into Zuko. "I love you," she whispers. "Heart and soul."

All she hears is Zuko whispering "heart and soul" into her ear once before drifting off to sleep.


End file.
